


Our Life in Pictures

by CorvusRex



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Dancer Lance (Voltron), Ezor - Freeform, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), Hunay, Lesbian Allura (Voltron), Lesbian Romelle (Voltron), M/M, Mature rating is just for language, Mpreg, No Smut, Not Beta Read, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omegaverse, Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Pansexual Matt Holt, Romellura, Tattoo Artist Keith (Voltron), We'll get there, Zethrid - Freeform, a/b/o dynamics, acxa - Freeform, adashi, eventually, except by me if that counts, klance, narti - Freeform, veracxa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:16:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 54,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusRex/pseuds/CorvusRex
Summary: A collection of scenes following the relationship between Keith, a tattoo artist, and Lance, the dancer who caught his attention from the dance school across the street.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 43
Kudos: 189





	1. Coffee and First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Lance is 3 months older than Keith for this and are both 22 in this chapter

Keith stood in the doorway of his studio, leaning against the door frame, just enjoying the spring breeze. Oriande, the dance studio and school taking up the second floor of the building across the street had been there far longer than Luxite, Keith’s tattoo studio, but the figure dancing their way across the large windows was new. A male dancer in a sky blue tank top and short grey shorts.

Keith didn’t know the difference with dancing, but it was graceful, elegant. Maybe it was the dance, maybe it was the dancer. Honey-gold skin, long limbs, slim waist. He knew the apparent slenderness of the dancer was deceptive. Both his own studio and the dancers frequented the same coffee shop on the corner, Balmera, and he had seen many of them up close. They may look thin, but he knew it was all tight, compact muscle.

The dancer turned and bent at the hips, his hands reaching the floor. Keith had never been more thankful for the floor to ceiling windows. He was so lost in watching this new dancer that he didn’t notice when his brother Shiro, resident piercing artist and fellow Alpha, came up beside him.

“Admiring the view?” he teased, having already spotted what held his younger brother’s attention.

“Fuck off, Shiro,” he tossed back.

“Didn’t deny it.”

“. . .Maybe. . .”

Shiro snorted.

“Whatever. I’m going to grab coffee. You want anything?” Keith asked, only playing at being annoyed.

“Sure. Iced matcha. Y’know, after you get his number,” Shiro answered, unable to hold back the continued teasing.

“You want sugar in it, or is meddling in my love life enough for you?” he shot back.

“Nah, your love life is too bland to make up for that. I don’t need my drink to end up as bitter as you.”

“Really are asking for it, asshole. Back in a few,” he said, taking a left to head down to the corner across from the coffee shop.

Balmera wasn’t busy as the dance class hadn’t gotten out yet. He learned that one the hard way, trying to navigate through the throngs of dancers a few too many times. He got in line, hoping that he wouldn’t get stuck in the horde of too-tight buns. That hope was rapidly flying out the window when the person two spots ahead of him got to the front and immediately apologized. Not to the line, of course not, but to the barista taking the order.

Shay was far too sweet to even pretend to be upset with this woman. Her parents owned the independent coffee shop and bakery, and Keith had gotten to know her. She was a tall, solidly-built woman about Keith’s age, but with distinctly feminine curves. Her dark hair fell just below her chin, and her hazel gold eyes always sparkled when she laughed or smiled, which was often.

“I’m so sorry, I have a really big order,” the customer said, pulling out a full-sized sheet of lined paper, then added with that half-laugh, “Office order, y’know.”

A couple people in the line groaned, and Keith rolled his eyes to the ceiling, knowing how long this would be. First to place the damn order, and then for it to be filled. He pulled his phone out and texted Shiro.

 **Keith:** Fucking office order in front of me. Might be a bit

 **Shiro:** K

 **Shiro:** Oh, grab some of those little cookie things

 **Keith:** If there are any fucking left after this shitshow

 **Shiro:** lol, k

Keith rolled his eyes again. Good to know where his brother’s priorities were. Office Girl was still going strong with her order, going through every little modification to everyone’s drinks and insisting on different names on each one, something Shay took care of with her usual grace. But this was _definitely_ going to take a while. At least he got there before the dance class got out. That would be even more of a nightmare.

It ended up taking ten minutes for her to order. The next person made a lame attempt at a joke since they only wanted black coffee, the one after ordering a simple latte. Finally, Keith was allowed to order his blended iced coffee – caramel today, he’d earned it – and Shiro’s iced matcha. And the friggin’ cookies. He made his way over to the other end of the counter to wait just as the dancers invaded. The new dancer among them.

He’d assumed as much, but Keith was still pleasantly surprised to find out that they were about the same height. He was even more pleasantly surprised to find that this new dancer was stunningly beautiful. Keith watched as the new dancer laughed at something the girl beside him said, noticing how his nose scrunched adorably when he did. Keith knew he was staring, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away until his name was called and he picked up his order.

He had gone to grab a few napkins and turned back around only to find himself face to face with the new dancer. This close he instantly noticed the intense blue of the dancer’s eyes and the light splash of freckles across his nose that were barely a shade darker than his skin. Keith was also painfully aware that this dancer was an Omega. The dancer’s scent punched through him, his senses full of honey, and lavender, and black tea.

“Oh,” the dancer said awkwardly at the sudden closeness, “Sorry about that. Here, um. . .”

He seemed as aware of Keith’s Alpha status as Keith was of his Omega. But, Keith noticed, he didn’t immediately defer to the Alpha in front of him. Instead, he deftly twisted to the side, a genuinely friendly lift to his face. He definitely appreciated independent Omegas who could take care of themselves.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Keith answered, sliding past.

On his way out the door, Keith caught the dancer watching him go. He hurried back to the studio, closing the old door with his foot. He dropped the cookies on the counter, handing Shiro his tea. Tossing the tray, he leaned back, taking a drawn-out sip of his coffee. For the second time that day, he didn’t notice when Shiro walked up.

“So. . . you want to talk about it?” Shiro asked.

Keith started, finally noticing his brother. He then melted back against the counter. “He’s an Omega. And fuck me is he beautiful.”

“Ok. So now what? You just going to hardcore crush on this Omega dancer and never talk to him?” he asked, tearing into the cookies.

“I don’t know. I want to talk to him, but I don’t want to fuck it up, y’know? But I did catch him watching me leave.”

Shiro laughed at that. “Yeah, sounds to me like you probably can’t fuck it up too badly.”

Keith thought about the Omega dancer for the rest of the day.

He had a break in appointments at the same time the next day, and went for another coffee run. The dancer was there again, and once again, they didn’t actually talk, only watched each other from a distance. It happened again the day after that. And the day after that. It became a habit for the two of them for the next three weeks before something had to give.

Almost three weeks to the day after they had encountered each other for the first time, Keith was at the coffee shop again. He’d decided that he needed a break from Shiro’s constant needling about talking to, as Shiro called him, Dancer Boy, and sat at one of the high tables with his coffee and his phone in front of him. He looked up when a caramel hand slid a napkin across the table toward him. One with a phone number on it.

“I've been hoping to catch you for a while now,” the dancer said, “But so far we’ve only crossed paths. And I know it’s not the ‘proper’ – as my Abuela would say – way, but I didn’t want to let you get away.” He slid into the seat across from Keith. “I’m Lance, by the way.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking the same thing,” Keith answered, taking in the tight white tank top and lavender crop top that was hanging off one shoulder, “I’m Keith.” He quickly opened his texts, fingers flying.

Seconds later, Lance’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from a new number. “You free for dinner tonight?” it asked.

Lance looked across the table, blue eyes bright. “Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, fellow supernatural creatures! I got the idea for this after I thought of a different scene (it will be included, promise) and things just kinda snowballed from there. I have several more scenes done and queued up, but I'm always open to suggestions if there's something y'all think I missed that you want to see.  
> -Corvus


	2. . . .And First Dates

Lance stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the four different outfits laid out on his bed as if they’d personally offended him. Getting ready for this date was getting him worked up and he was taking it out on his fashion choices. And, ok, he was the one who started it by finally working up the confidence to talk to Keith, as he now knew, the tattoo artist from the studio across the street from Oriande. But Keith was the one who asked him out. And now Lance was here, glaring at his clothes with only an hour before Keith was picking him up.

Keith had said not to bother getting too dressed up. He was taking Lance to his favorite hole-in-the-wall Italian place, Sal’s, named for the owner’s surly but loving grandfather who had started the restaurant. After that was a walk around the corner to Scaultrite, the dessert place Keith had always wanted to check out, but “never had a good enough reason to”. Lance immediately knew that meant “no one to share it with”, and even if he hadn’t caught the slightly shy and maybe a little embarrassed scent that filtered through Keith’s own personal scent – leather, late summer woods, and, well, _something_ that Lance couldn’t quite identify – he saw how the tips of the Alpha’s ears had turned red at the admission. A beautiful, smoking hot Alpha who could also be soft and shy? Sign Lance up for that.

Not that it helped his current problem. Nothing could help his current problem. Lance stared at his outfits for another minute before huffing at himself and his wardrobe. He grabbed his favorite jeans from one outfit, the dark blue but-not quite-dark wash ones that he knew did fantastic things for his long legs and toned ass, not that his dance clothes didn’t do that anyway. He scanned over the remaining clothes, blue eyes narrowed, before finally settling on a silver heathered t-shirt he’d originally stolen from his sister Rachel, deciding that he’d looked better in it than she had. Ignoring the rest of the clothes he’d pulled out, Lance went back to his closet, finding the turquoise-to-cobalt ombré zip-up hoodie he loved so much.

By the time he’d finally decided and gotten dressed, he only had fifteen minutes left. After spending a full ten minutes of that time messing around with his short chocolate brown hair, he stood in front of his dresser, debating as to whether or not he wanted to bother with his scent enhancer, finally deciding on the barest hint of it over his scent gland. Betas may favor perfumes and colognes as their natural scents were so mild, but almost no Alpha or Omega would go near them, far preferring mild scent enhancers for special occasions. Alphas used them far more liberally than Omegas, but Lance could be a vain creature occasionally.

He was well aware that his honey-lavender-black tea scent had been seen as too strong by some Alphas, but they had all been Alphas Lance wouldn’t have given a second glance to anyway. And he knew instantly how Keith had felt about his scent when they came face to face that first day. Lance had been startled by the subconscious, instinctive, claiming possessiveness in Keith’s scent when he’d turned around. Everything about Keith and his Alpha scent had called to Lance, and he knew that he couldn’t let this Alpha get away.

He had just finished tying his charcoal grey converse when his phone buzzed.

 **Keith:** Just pulled up

 **Lance:** be right down

Barely remembering to lock his front door, Lance flew down the stairs of his apartment building, not wanting to wait for the elevator. He slowed down when he reached the bottom, adopting a more casual pace, but stopped entirely as he left his building.

Keith was standing directly in front of the fifty-year-old concrete building. Lance’s gaze moved from black boots, to jeans the same color that looked painted on, to the blood red t-shirt skimming over Keith’s heavily-toned abs, to the black leather racing jacket left unzipped, and finally to the Alpha’s face. Thick, raven-dark hair was pulled back, as it usually was, fluffy bangs left loose. Lance caught Keith’s bright indigo gaze raking over him as well, an appreciative smile quirking a corner of his lips. The overall effect was one of being effortlessly sexy, but without the aggression or intimidation that usually rolled off Alphas who knew, or at least thought, they looked good.

The glint of something subtly sparkly under the streetlight and setting sun caught Lance’s attention. He then realized that Keith wasn’t just waiting out on the sidewalk for him. The Alpha was leaning up against a sleek black motorcycle. The black paint had a subtle sparkle to it that immediately made him think of the midnight sky and ultraviolet highlights that, if Lance didn’t know better, he would swear were glowing. It was a beautiful machine that was clearly built for speed. Lance thought that he should probably feel nervous about getting on it, but realized that he instinctively trusted Keith and that he had nothing to worry about.

“Hey,” Keith said softly – no, shyly, Lance realized, “You look really good.”

“So do you,” he answered, snapping his attention back to the Alpha.

Keith’s small smile turned shy as he blushed furiously. They didn’t even know each other yet, and Lance seriously wondered if Keith could get any more perfect. The Alpha turned, releasing the elastic mesh from the solid black spare helmet. After fully detaching and storing the mesh in the bike’s seat compartment while keeping a stabilizing hand on the helmet resting there that matched the bike, he turned back, holding the spare helmet off his fingertips.

“Here, you’ll need this,” he said, his blush only moderately contained.

“Oh, right.” Lance stepped forward, taking the proffered spare and realizing that the hands that had previously been in Keith’s jacket pockets were partially covered in fingerless bike gloves. _If he manages to get any hotter, he is going to kill me,_ Lance thought.

“Like this.” Keith slid the visor up, and corrected Lance’s inexperienced fumbling, settling the helmet onto the Omega with minimal effort. He picked up his own, straddling the bike with practiced ease. “Get on behind me and hold on. To me, specifically.” He looked away again, trying to hide the refreshed blush by slipping his own helmet on and zipping his jacket.

The second Keith settled down onto the seat and handlebars, Lance wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s waist. Even through the leather he could feel the ripple of muscle. He immediately wanted to know what it felt like without layers of fabric and protective gear and almost just as immediately dismissed that thought, trying desperately not to get ahead of himself.

“You’ll probably be more comfortable with the visor down,” he said before Lance heard the click of his own being pushed into place. He followed suit and the engine started, and Keith walked the bike out onto the road.

They made their way from the edges of the city of Altea, where Lance lived, and closer to the center. Keith expertly wove through city traffic, Lance never feeling anything but safe, even through the thrill of excitement once he got used to the speed and power of the beast beneath him. He watched the city pass in a blur, only noting where they were when slowing due to traffic or at a red light. Eventually, when they finally stopped and Keith cut the engine, settling the bike onto its kickstand, Lance realized they were just outside Altea’s Little Tokyo district.

Lance also noticed that Sal’s truly was “hole in the wall”. It looked every bit the neighborhood institution it had to be, a mainstay for locals for decades. An old green, white, and red neon sign announcing Sal’s hung vertically at the corner. The only windows were by the old heavy wood door, the view inside blocked by wine red curtains. It all settled in seamlessly with the century-old brick, making it feel like Sal’s had never not been there.

Keith held the door and for Lance, stepping inside felt like stepping back in time. The interior had dark wood paneling climbing halfway up the wall, the rest covered in warm dark yellow wallpaper with a diamond trellis of lace-like white vines and flowers, the open diamonds filled with rose-heavy floral bouquets. The lighting was dim and warm, giving the whole place a cozy, intimate atmosphere. There was no dedicated hostess stand, but what existed of a lobby of sorts was covered in framed photographs, most of them of either the business over the decades or family photos.

The most prominent of these featured the man himself. Sal was a large man, judging by the petite woman at his side who must have been his wife. He stood in the restaurant’s kitchen, thick arms crossed over a heavy-set torso wrapped in a white apron. He had close cut dark hair, slightly larger than average ears, a thin moustache, and small, well-trimmed goatee. He looked surly, but the sparkle in his eye showed how much he loved his business and family.

A tall blonde waitress with bright violet eyes came by, greeting Keith by name. She was a Beta and definitely cute, Lance decided, but she couldn’t hold a candle to the Alpha he’d walked in with.

“Hey, Keith,” she said, then noticed Lance beside him, “Oh, who’s this?”

“Hey, Nyma,” he answered, “This is Lance. Be nice.” He turned to Lance. “Nyma’s Sal’s great-granddaughter. And can be a little sassy,” he added, quirking an eyebrow at the girl.

Nyma snorted. “Yeah, but I'm always nice.”

“Bullshit. You give me shit every time I’m here.”

“Great-grandpa wanted this place to be a family experience, so we treat everyone like family.” She pointed at Keith. “No exceptions.” She turned to the dining room, waving them in, then guided the pair to a booth near the back corner, finally leaving them in peace.

Lance settled in to the dark red leatherette seating and aged wood table. “Well, this place is an experience.”

Keith chuckled. “Yeah it is. Nyma can be a little much sometimes, but they’re all good people here. Her brother Rolo – don’t ask, childhood nickname that stuck – works in the kitchen, and their father currently owns the place.”

While Keith glanced through the menu, deciding what he wanted that time, Lance looked it over a bit more carefully. When he got to House Specialties, he stopped.

“Ok, what the fuck is a toasted ravioli?” he asked, staring at the words like they were a foreign language.

“Breaded and deep-fried ravioli. And before you write it off, it’s fucking amazing. Thanks, by the way, you just made my decision for me,” Keith answered.

Nyma came back then. “You make a decision yet?” she asked Keith.

“No, go away,” he retorted, then with a giggle, “Yeah. You set, Lance?”

“Yeah, I think so,” he said slowly.

Nyma scribbled their order – toasted ravioli for Keith and lasagna for Lance because “if an Italian restaurant can’t make good lasagna, what’s the point?”

Nyma laughed and nudged Keith. “I like him. You want a Red Lion?”

“Absolutely. How about you?” he asked Lance.

“Red Lion?”

“It’s a red ale from King’s Brewery. Local.”

Lance perked up with a look of recognition at the name, but didn’t say anything about it. “I’m not much for beers.”

“We’ve got a really good Italian red wine,” Nyma suggested.

“That sounds amazing,” he agreed. Lance waited until Nyma had gone before explaining. “Allura King owns and runs Oriande. Alfor King is her father. He started King’s Brewery before she was born.”

“Well, shit,” Keith said appreciatively, “So, that’s one thing. What else is there to know about you?”

Lance leaned back. “Well, I’m the youngest of five. I’ve been dancing since I was six and I started doing aerial silks when I was twelve, so ten years ago. I teach at Oriande when I'm not doing shows. Oh! I’m Cuban. My parents Angel and Marisol live just outside the city, still in the house I grew up in.”

Nyma came back with their drinks, letting them know it would be a few minutes.

“So, what about you?” the Omega asked.

Keith played with the base of his glass. “That’s a lot. But me? Not much, really. I only have one older brother, Shiro. He’s the piercing artist for my studio. Shiro’s actually part of his last name, Shirogane, but not mine. Our parents weren’t mated, or really, even back together, until just before I was born. So, he has Mom’s maiden name, and I have our Dad’s name, Kogane. We’re Japanese. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember and went into a tattoo artist apprenticeship right out of high school, and opened Luxite right after that two years ago. Also, Shiro and I are both Alphas. What about your siblings?”

“Sorry, I tend to ramble sometimes. But Luis is the oldest and the only Beta, Veronica and Marco are both Alphas, and then me and my other sister Rachel are Omegas. My Papá’s a Beta and Mamá’s an Omega.”

“You don’t need to apologize for something like that. Everyone has their quirks. Don’t ever be sorry for being who you are.”

Lance sat stunned, overwhelmed by the sincerity and protectiveness saturating Keith’s scent. He didn’t even notice when Nyma returned, set their plates down, and left again. He’d dated Alphas before, but none like this one. With Keith he felt safe and protected, but also knew that he would never become _that_ possessive Alpha. Lance knew that he was respected as a person first, both by Keith’s behaviour and his scent. He couldn’t bring himself to break away from that intense, bright indigo stare holding his gaze from across the table.

Keith tilted his head, his intense stare turning sweet. Lance realized the Alpha had taken his hand. But instead of it setting off warning alarms in his head, he felt comforted by it and didn’t want to let go. Keith seemed to suddenly realize what he’d done and pulled back, his scent turning apologetic.

“I’ve had more than enough people tell me that I’m wrong or broken for not being an asshole Alpha before. I didn’t listen to them then, and I still don’t now. But I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“No! No, not at all. I’ve dated asshole Alphas before, and you’re far from it.” Lance felt his blush crawling up his neck from the admission.

Keith’s own blush spread in response.

They decided to distract themselves with eating and then changing the subject. Conversation became lighter, discussing general interests – music, movies, books. They both had a broad taste in music, many genres overlapping in their personal tastes, they both liked action movies and Monty Python, Keith admitted to a secret love of bad Sci-fi – but Event Horizon is a classic, and he _will_ fight you on that, Lance had a not-so-secret love of period films, and 80s fantasy was a genre all to itself, something they both agreed on, and while they had both read quite a bit of 19th century literature, and both had read Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Lance was unfamiliar with Douglas Adams – something Keith said needed to be corrected as soon as humanly possible.

“If you like Terry Pratchett, there is no way you won’t like Douglas Adams,” Keith said, “Different settings entirely, but the same kind of humor. I have all of Hitchhiker’s Guide, and also The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. We’ll start with Hitchhiker’s Guide.”

As they were finishing up at Sal’s, Keith remembered the dropped subject from earlier. “You asked about my parents and we got kind of derailed. Anyway, my Dad Ryu’s an Alpha and my Mom Krolia’s an Omega you do not want to cross. Shit, that makes it sound like she’ll hate you on spec. She really wouldn’t, she’s just really protective of us.”

Lance laughed. “No, I get that. My Mamá’s the same.”

“I think it’s a Mom thing.” He stood up and stretched, extending a hand to Lance, “Shall we to Scaultrite?”

Lance accepted it, giggling. “We shall.”

When they stepped out into the cooler night air, Keith turned them right, passing where he’d parked his bike. “So, what’d you think of Sal’s?” he asked.

“I can see why it’s your favorite. Now I wish I didn’t live so far from it.”

They both realized at the same time that neither had let go of the other’s hand and laced their fingers together.

“My apartment’s actually within walking distance, and my parents own a duplex in Little Tokyo. My grandmother lives in one side and my parents in the other. I’ve been coming here since I was little.”

“You really are a city kid,” Lance noted.

“Yeah," Keith agreed, "Fastest way back is to cut through the park and go right at the corner. My building’s three blocks down.”

Another right turn, and Scaultrite’s light blue signage lit up the sidewalk. Where Sal’s had been warm, dim, and cozy, Scaultrite was bright. The dessert bar had a theme of pale blues, glass, and steel, and a blue stained wood floor. Glass and steel display cases were interspersed with white serving counters, the cases full of a wide variety of treats and pastries. At the end was the ice cream case featuring standard flavors and unusual ones like lobster. The outer walls were lined with tables, matching the blue/glass/steel theme.

After a few minutes to take everything in, they decided on a brownie sundae and milkshakes. Ever the caffeine addict, Keith went with Irish Coffee, which combined their coffee and Bailey’s flavors, Lance opting for a toffee swirl. The pair lingered over their dessert, the conversation staying light, getting into specifics of favorites within their previous topics and a few new ones.

They both learned that the other was bilingual and that English hadn’t been either of their first languages. Lance and his siblings grew up speaking Spanish at home almost exclusively, and Keith, having been raised within Little Tokyo, didn’t learn English until kindergarten, having gone to a Japanese-only daycare and preschool. They ended up closing Scaultrite, wandering out into the park, not wanting to end the night yet.

They ended up with their fingers intertwined again, and Lance leaned into Keith's shoulder. “Is this ok?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Keith answered, “I could definitely get used to this.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Of course. What is it?”

Lance hesitated before speaking. “I’ve never felt like this with an Alpha before. Completely safe. The other Alphas I dated, there was always this tension, like I was just waiting for them to turn into giant dicks. Which they did in some way or another. I haven’t felt that tension at all. I didn’t even know it was possible.”

It was Keith's turn to pause. He took a breath, letting it out into the night air. “I hate that it’s even a question. Of course it’s possible. I was taught that Alphas should be protective without being possessive. Omegas are people, just like Alphas and Betas, and need to be treated as such and not as possessions. You’re not an object, and I will never treat you like one. I was hoping to prove that just by doing it.”

“You did.” Lance picked himself up and turned, his fingers brushing across the porcelain skin of Keith’s face. He realized that he was only an inch or two shorter than the Alpha. “You did prove it. I, um. . .”

“Yeah?” Keith breathed.

“Mhm.”

Neither were aware who made contact first, only that they had connected, moving cautiously as they learned the dips and curves of the other’s lips. They stayed there, carefully exploring, until they finally had to come up for air. Lance had ended up with his arms resting on Keith’s shoulders, the Alpha’s arms around his waist.

“And I could definitely get used to that,” the Omega said.

“Well, then,” Keith responded, “That means you’ll just have to go out with me again.”

“I guess I will.”

Lacing their hands together for a third time that night, Lance once again leaned into Keith's shoulder as they made their way back to his bike. Lance didn’t want to let go, but then remembered that he would get to hold on to Keith for the entire ride back to his apartment. He got the bulky helmet on with far less trouble and settled onto the back of the bike, his arms wrapped securely around the tight muscle of the Alpha’s abs.

Keith took the trip back a bit more slowly, even with far less traffic than there had been earlier. Lance noticed it, but found that he enjoyed the slower speeds as much as he’d liked going faster. When they reached Lance’s building, Keith resecured the spare helmet to the back of his bike with the mesh, and took his own off, settling it in front of himself.

“Hey, Lance?” he said before the Omega walked away.

Lance turned back to find Keith sitting on his bike, hand extended. He took it, allowing himself to be pulled in, fully reciprocating the kiss Keith initiated.

“I’ll text you when I get home,” the Alpha whispered when he broke away.

“Please?” Lance asked back.

“Yeah. Twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting,” he said, backing up toward the front door of his building.

He watched as Keith pulled back out and took off down the street. Lance stayed until the black bike disappeared around the corner. Once it was out of sight, he flew up the stairs to his apartment. He put the clothes he’d pulled out away and got through his night routine and into bed in less than the twenty minutes Keith said it would take him to get back. He lay in bed, waiting for the buzz of a text.

 **Keith:** Just got in. Sleep well

 **Lance:** Good. Sleep well

Lance fell asleep that night staring at the last text he received, his dreams full of a certain beautiful Japanese Alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, fellow supernatural creatures! My plan is to update on Wednesdays, but this was poking my brain and wouldn't leave until I finished it.  
> Just like before, I want to know if there's something y'all want to see from this or if there's something I missed!  
> -Corvus


	3. Questions and Labels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny, minor warning of a mildly racy make out and fade to black scene at the end.
> 
> Also where there's < Dialogue text. > in italics, the dialogue spoken is in Japanese. I did it this way to preserve the flow of conversation and better relate the intention. Also my Japanese is pure crap.

Lance lay on the floor by the window, resting his chin on the back of his hands, while he watched the interaction between Keith and Shiro from across the street at Oriande. He snickered when he saw Keith flip his brother off and Shiro burst out laughing at it. Someone sat beside him, resting against the wall between the windows. A few seconds later, someone else sat on the other side. 

“Stalking your boyfriend?” Allura asked. 

“He’s not my boyfriend, Allura. And no, I’m not stalking him,” Lance retorted. 

“Well,” Romelle jumped in, “You’ve been seeing him for the last three months – exclusively, may I add – I’m pretty sure you’ve slept together –” 

“ROMELLE!” he screeched. 

Allura laughed despite herself at her girlfriend’s commentary. “Melle, sweetie, tone it down a bit.” 

“Fine,” the Beta groaned, “Doesn’t change the fact that he is your boyfriend. And you’re also stalking him.” 

Lance dropped his forehead down on his hands. “He’s not my boyfriend, and I am not stalking him. We haven’t talked about being official, or putting a label on it, or anything. My after-hours activities are none of your business – don’t you ‘aha!’ me – and I can’t really be stalking him when we’re literally across the street from each other and we have giant ass windows.” He sighed in Romelle’s direction, and got up. “I’m heading down to Balmera before your mom’s class gets out,” he said to Allura. 

“Only because your boyfriend’s going!” Romelle called after him. 

“Not my boyfriend!” Lance yelled as he left. 

Romelle was only partially correct. Lance didn’t want to get caught in the middle of Melenor’s students when they swarmed Balmera after their class, and he knew that Keith timed his late-morning coffee run to avoid them as well. And if he just so happened to run into a certain tattoo artist, even better. 

Lance thought about not having a name to put to his relationship with Keith. They didn’t need a label to date, enjoy each other’s company, and if Lance had spent the night at Keith’s apartment a few times, they didn’t need a label for that either. But that didn’t mean that Lance didn’t want that label. He had already been planning to bring it up when they went out that night, but now he was thinking that maybe he wanted to bring it up earlier than that. 

He scanned the line at Balmera when he stepped inside and found a familiar raven. Keith had one hand in the pocket of those tight black jeans Lance loved, the other scrolling through his phone. Lance took in the purple tank top clinging to a sculpted torso, showing off equally sculpted arms, but whined softly when he saw the black flannel tied around his waist, obscuring the Alpha’s thickly muscled thighs and ass. It didn’t stop him from sneaking up behind and slipping his arms around Keith’s waist, startling him. 

“Hey you,” Keith said as Lance hooked his chin over the Alpha’s shoulder. 

“Hi,” Lance answered, breathing in Keith’s scent. 

The Alpha slipped his phone in his pocket, giving his attention to the Omega wrapped around him. Keith slid his hands down Lance’s forearms, gently holding his wrists, and leaned back against the Omega’s shoulder. “What’s up?” 

“Wanted to beat Melenor’s class getting out. Adolescent girls kinda make me want to run screaming. Especially those ones.” 

Keith laughed softly. “They really don’t understand the concept of volume control, do they?” 

“No. No, they do not. You should hear them when they’re upstairs. Try to imagine elephants that scream like hyenas. That’s it, I get a cookie for dealing with them.” 

The soft laugh erupted, earning looks from the people around them. Keith reeled himself in, stifling his laughter. “You’re adorable.” 

Lance waited in the line, snuggled up against Keith’s back. It was the first time he’d been able to get a look at the redecorating Shay had orchestrated for Balmera. The walls were a deep sage green, a patch of wall by a wide window had a living succulent garden hanging like a painting, small shelves had been installed along the walls to hold other plants, and the floor had been redone, the café floor now in stained wood, and the floors around the register, display case, and espresso machines were deep grey slate tile. To finish the new look, strings of crystal-shaped lights hung along the top of the walls. The only thing that hadn’t changed were the tables and chairs. 

“You ok back there?” Keith asked. 

“Very,” Lance answered. He thought about the conversation he wanted to broach. “Do you need to get back right away?” he asked. 

“No. Everything ok?” 

“Yeah, no, everything’s fine. I just wanted to talk about something.” 

“Vague, but ok. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, too.” 

The person in front of them moved away and Shay waved to the pair, her usual sweet smile in place. They ordered their usual drinks and snacks – iced black tea latte, extra sweet, for Lance, along with the cinnamon roll cookie he wanted, Keith’s blended iced coffee, iced matcha for Shiro, and the strawberry frosted shortbread bites Shiro was addicted to. 

Lance used the time while Keith was distracted by ordering to pull up his NFC wallet app, and slipped around the Alpha. 

“Lance, no. Stop that,” Keith said when he noticed. 

“I will not,” Lance retorted. 

Keith tried to get between the Omega and the counter, but Lance spun around him, putting himself back where he needed to be. He yelped when he felt strong arms around his waist, lifting him. 

“No! Bad Keith!” he squeaked. 

“No, bad Lance.” Keith responded while trying to maintain his grip on the squirming Omega. 

“Nope, still doesn’t matter,” Lance said, transferring his phone to the other hand. His long arms made it so that even being held in the air couldn’t stop him. “I win!” he announced when the PIN pad beeped. 

Shay had to step away from the counter she was laughing so hard at the two of them. She waved them on, unable to form words. Her brother Rax stepped in, sending his sister to go sit and pull herself together. 

Keith carried Lance all the way to the other end of the counter to the handoff area before putting him down. “What did I tell you?” he asked playfully. 

“That I’m adorable,” Lance answered flippantly. 

Keith groaned, dropping his head on Lance’s shoulder. “Yeah, ok. Besides that, smartass.” 

“I dunno. Wasn’t listening.” He patted the Alpha’s head like one would a toddler. 

“You’re impossible.” 

“And adorable. Don’t forget that. It’s important.” 

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist. “You’re lucky you’re adorable, y’know that?” 

“Yup. My Mamá’s been telling me that for years. Oh look, here comes the horde.” 

The door to the café opened to the swarm of dancers that poured in. They all seemed to be talking at once as they got in line. Keith was horrified to realize that Lance’s assessment had been right. Their higher-pitched voices collectively grated on his ears. It most likely had to do with not having been raised around girls except for school, and his career choice all but eliminated the possibility of running into them professionally. There would occasionally be one or two who came in with their parents for basic ear piercing, but Shiro got to deal with them. He was completely unused to so many girls in one place. 

“Y’know,” Lance said, “I have no problem with all-girl classes. Hell, I’ve taught them. For whatever reason, it’s this class in particular. Melenor’s the only one who can keep them contained, but only when they’re in her classroom. I have no idea what it is about her. Maybe it’s the Mom Aura.” 

Their order was called by Shay’s cousin Amber, and they stepped outside after picking it up, having forgotten wanting to talk. Keith walked Lance to the door of Oriande’s building, pulling him in for a quick kiss before leaving for Luxite. 

“See you tonight?” Keith asked. 

“Mhm,” Lance answered. 

“I’ll come pick you up at seven,” he said, turning to cross the street. 

“Get rid of that flannel before walking away from me,” the Omega called after him. 

Keith turned back around, giving him a “Seriously?” look. Lance just giggled into his tea. He nearly choked on his drink laughing when Keith made it safely across and Shiro darted out of the studio to grab his cookies off the tray. When Keith said that Shiro had a problem, he really meant it. 

Back upstairs in Oriande, Lance settled into the couch in the staff breakroom. Romelle came in, throwing herself onto the couch beside him. Without Allura to rein her in, she stared at Lance with an evil grin. 

“Have fun with your boyfriend?” she asked. 

Lance ignored her, paying attention to his cookie. 

“Oh you’re no fun,” the Beta huffed. 

“I’m plenty of fun,” Lance answered without looking at her, “Still not my boyfriend.” _Shit_ , he thought, _I was going to talk to him about that. Meh, I’ll bring it up tonight._

“That’s where you disappeared to,” Allura said to Romelle, walking in, “You’re not bothering Lance again, are you?” 

“Me?” Romelle asked with over the top innocence, “I would never do that.” 

“Bullshit,” Lance said through cookie. 

Allura made an attempt, but a soft bark of a laugh escaped her. Romelle pouted theatrically. 

Lance spent the rest of the day at Oriande rehearsing a silks routine for an upcoming show. Allura took the other half of the large room, working through the beginning solo part of the dance Lance would be partnering with her for after his aerial routine during the show. They had the rest of the dance down, but she still didn’t feel totally confident in her solo part. The show’s choreographer had met with Lance that morning, going through the changes they had made to the aerial silks part of the show. After waiting for Romelle to finish with the children’s class she was teaching, Lance dropped her and Allura off at Allura’s apartment before heading back to his own. 

After showering and changing, he lay on his bed, thinking about how to bring up the idea of becoming official with Keith. And then he remembered that Keith had said there was something that _he_ wanted to talk about. Lance hadn’t gotten the feeling that there was anything wrong, but it made him worry anyway. He didn’t know that Keith was at his own apartment in the heart of the city thinking the same thing. 

Keith walked through his apartment in nothing but his jeans, toweling his hair dry after his shower. He stopped, letting the towel drop to his broad shoulders when he reached his living room and found the cinnamon kitten he’d adopted from the abandoned litter he found behind Luxite trying, and adorably failing, to climb up the sofa. The rest of the litter had been given to the nearest animal shelter, but Keith fell in love with the little cinnamon boy and brought him home after the all clear from the vet. 

“Red, no. You’re too little for that,” he said as he scooped the kitten into his arms. 

He stretched himself across the sofa, letting Red curl up on his chest. Red purred in response to the gentle scratching he was getting on the top of his head. Keith thought about what he wanted to bring up with Lance that night. They had been dating for three months at that point, Lance had spent the night a few times, but they hadn’t put a name to their relationship. When Keith had gone to bed alone after the last time Lance had stayed over a week earlier, he realized that he wanted to put a name to what they had. He realized that what he felt wasn’t casual. It wasn’t going to fade after another few months. He had come to the startling realization that he had fallen for Lance, and that he wanted to make them official. 

The question he had for himself was how to bring it up. He had been cautious after Lance openly admitted that he hadn’t had the best luck with Alphas in the past. The last thing Keith wanted was to upset Lance by moving too quickly. But then, they’d already slept together, so naming their relationship couldn’t possibly be too much, right? 

“What do you think, Red?” he asked the sleeping cat, “You think this is a good idea? You’re not going to answer, you’re asleep.” 

He lay there thinking about it, letting Red sleep on him. He’d been thinking about it for a week. Every time it brought itself to the forefront, he noticed something else he loved about Lance. It had gotten to the point where he was just torturing himself by overthinking taking this step. Laying on his sofa, staring at the ceiling, he realized that he really had been overthinking it, and that he just needed to talk to Lance about it like adults. Everything would work out, and if he let himself think about it any more, he’d end up talking himself out of bringing it up to begin with. 

He gently picked Red up, laying him in the cat bed that now lived next to the sofa. Red squeaked in disappointment at having lost his human bed, but curled up again anyway, his tiny eyes closing. Keith gave him another scratch, then went back to his bedroom to finish dressing. He remembered as he was pulling his boots on that Lance had mentioned wanting to talk to him about something. It sent a wave of worry through him. After being so normal – for him – after that when they were still at Balmera, he didn’t think it was anything he needed to worry about, but it did worry him. He dismissed the thought, grabbing his racing jacket from the closet, and heading down to where his bike was parked in the alley beside the Victorian brick building. 

When Keith pulled up to Lance’s apartment building at the edge of the city, the Omega was waiting for him outside. “Just couldn’t wait, hm?” 

“So what if I couldn’t?” Lance asked back as he walked up. 

“Nothing I have a problem with,” Keith said, slipping a hand around Lance’s hip to settle on his lower back. 

“Didn’t think you would.” Lance settled his arms on the shoulders of the still seated Alpha. He chirped in surprise when he was pulled in, but melted against Keith and into the kiss. 

“You ready to go?” he asked when he broke away. 

“Been ready. Where are we going again?” 

“We are going to Takara. Best fuckin’ ramen in Altea. The real thing. You said you wanted to find out what real Japanese is like, and this is a pretty good place to start.” He got off his bike long enough to store the elastic mesh in the seat compartment. “But it is in Little Tokyo, which means there’s more Japanese than English spoken. I’m pretty sure the menus are bilingual. I’ll translate if necessary, don’t worry about it.” 

Lance laughed. “Like I had to when we went to Taste of Havana?” 

“Yeah. That,” Keith said as he slid his visor down and started the engine. 

Lance laughed harder. “You liked it, and you know it.” 

Keith just shook his head and pulled out onto the street. Lance could feel the amused eye roll. He just settled his hands around the Alpha as they took off. 

Keith drove at his usual speeds, weaving through and around traffic. Lance knew they had officially crossed over into Little Tokyo when signage was more often in Japanese than English. They pulled up in front of a small, unassuming place nestled between businesses. Lance got the distinct impression the neighborhood had grown around the building. 

“Well, this is it,” Keith said when they dismounted. 

“Not gonna lie, I feel a little out of place here,” Lance admitted. 

Keith wove their fingers together. “You’re fine. I grew up here, and I cannot tell you how many tourists come through. You’re a native Altean, and you’re already way better behaved than they are.” 

He led the way up aged concrete steps and inside. Lance didn’t have any practical knowledge of what Japan was like, but even still, he felt like this was a piece of it in Altea. It wasn’t over the top like a western interpretation of Japanese culture could be. It was quietly authentic. Décor was clean and simple. What hit Lance more than that were the scents permeating the air. There was no one thing he could put his finger on, it just smelled real. He could tell Takara was run with a real love of their native culture. They loved what they did, and they did it well. 

They were greeted almost immediately by a middle-aged woman, her dark hair pulled into a simple French twist. She lit up when she recognized Keith. 

_< Keith! You haven’t been by in a while! We missed you.>_

_< Sorry, Kimika. I’ve been busy with work lately. But I think I’ll probably be by more often now.>_

Kimika noticed Lance beside Keith. “Kimika-san, this is Lance,” he said, “Lance, this is Takara Kimika. Her parents started the restaurant. And, what are we up to now, third cousins? On the Kogane side.” 

The petite Alpha greeted him warmly. “I believe so,” she said first to Keith, her accent distinct, but not thick, “It’s lovely to finally meet you. Keith doesn’t bring anyone here very often, except for Takashi.” 

Keith gave her a questioning look. 

“Ryu tells me far more than you do.” She led them to an out of the way table, where they wouldn’t be disturbed by summer tourists. _< I like him. You’re keeping this one.>_

_< And how do you know that? We’ve only been dating three months.>_

_< You’ll be courting him properly soon enough. I saw how you were looking at him.>_

Keith shook his head at his cousin’s choice of words. _< No one even does that anymore. Traditional courting died out decades ago.>_

_< You will. I know you.>_ She left them alone, but not before giving Keith a pointed look. 

He sighed, shaking his head at her. 

“Do I want to know what that was?” Lance asked. 

“She was just giving me shit. Usually it’s because I’m either alone or just with Shiro. This time she was giving me shit for _not_ coming in alone.” 

“Family’s the same no matter what,” Lance laughed. 

“Yeah they are. So, I wanted to talk to you,” Keith started. 

Lance couldn’t help it. His scent soured slightly with worry. He was afraid of what was coming. “Yeah, you said earlier. And I had something I wanted to bring up with you, too. But you start.” 

Keith took a deep breath. “I have been thinking lately. A lot, actually. I’ve been trying to go more slowly with you because of what you said about having dated asshole Alphas before. I wanted to take things at a speed you were more comfortable with. It’s why I haven’t pushed you at all, why everything’s been at your pace. But I realized over the last week that I don’t want to wait anymore. I can’t. So, what I’m trying to say, or ask you, really, is if you wanted to, or if – fuck, I’m bad at this – I want us to be official.” 

Lance didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. “Are you fucking joking? That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. Yeah. I’m more than ok with it. But I don’t know. You sure Red’s ok with it?” He was so relieved that he couldn’t help but tease. 

Keith’s entire body relaxed. He had been worried about how this would go. Nervous that Lance wanted to pull back a bit, or maybe leave him altogether. But he wanted the same thing. Keith found himself thinking that maybe Kimika had a point. Maybe Lance was the one he’d stay with. It was still too early to think about it, but maybe. 

“I don’t know,” the Alpha teased back, “He can be kinda possessive. Complained earlier when I moved him off of me to get dressed.” 

“I never thought I’d see the day where I would be jealous of a kitten. But when were you going to tell me this place is family-run, like, y’know, _your_ family?” 

“Would you believe I forgot? I don’t really think about it. My great-great-grandparents are her great-grandparents. I lost track of how, specifically, that makes us related a long time ago. Second, third cousins, or something? Fuck it, I'm looking this up.” Keith pulled his phone out, quickly searching the topic. “Second cousin once removed. Well ok then.” 

The air had changed around them. The dating-but-not-together thing solidified, becoming something real. They both could feel the difference, and it was comfortable, natural. It had been the thing they needed to be able to settle into their relationship. The security of knowing that they wanted the same things from each other allowed the flow of conversation to be even more fluid. Lance was in the middle of telling Keith about Romelle’s antics that day when Kimika came back, steaming bowls of ramen in hand. 

_< Told you.>_ she said before she left. Keith just shot a look at her retreating back. 

Lance stared at it in awe. “I have never seen anything like this.” 

“Yeah, the real thing is totally different from what most people think,” Keith said with a laugh. 

Kimika left them in peace, sending her daughter Natsuko when the pair were finished. 

“Hey, Nat,” Keith said, “Still planning on sneaking over before school starts?” 

“Yeah, if I can get away from Mom long enough. I don’t know how she manages to be right there every time I try to leave the house,” Nat answered. 

“I told her I’d do her first tattoo for her eighteenth birthday. So far, planning it has been a nightmare,” he explained to Lance. 

“That’s an understatement,” she said, then turned to Lance, “So you’re the one Mom’s been going on about.” 

“The fuck does that mean?” Keith asked. 

“I don’t know. Ever since Ryu told her, she won’t shut up about it. Keeps wanting to know when I’ll ‘find someone’. I just turned eighteen, give it a rest. Seriously.” 

“I’ll talk to Dad about that. He seems to be able to calm her down.” 

“Please?” Nat asked. 

“Yeah. And don’t worry too much about getting your ink done. I can stay late or we could do it on a day off. What you want is small, won’t take long,” Keith offered.

“I've told you that you're my favorite cousin, right?”

Keith snorted. “Not until now.”

She left bouncing, saying that she’d text him when she could get some time off. Her mother didn’t object to the idea of a tattoo, especially not one given to her by family, but she also wasn’t prone to giving her daughter a day off from the restaurant.

Lance watched their interaction, realizing that he’d found something new to love about his newly-named boyfriend. He’d never seen Keith interact with family other than Shiro, and that was a completely different dynamic. How he behaved with his three-years-older brother was entirely different to the interaction with a younger female cousin. It made Lance wonder what he would be like with kids, maybe even pups of their own someday.

 _Stop getting ahead of yourself, Lance_ , he admonished himself mentally, but out loud he said, “Hey, wanna stop by Scaultrite on the way back?”

“This is a good plan. I like this plan,” Keith answered.

When they reached Scaultrite, they were greeted by the three colorful girls that owned and ran the bakery, which had just received its liquor license. They were open late, so why not was their reasoning. They had hired on a fourth girl to run the bar. Keith and Lance were absolutely convinced that the girls’ names couldn’t possibly be their real ones. The perky one, Ezor, with her bright pink and blue ponytail running all the way down her back, could usually be found bouncing around behind the counter. Her blue-haired girlfriend Zethrid was imposingly tall and broad, but her physicality hid the soft fondness for Ezor that showed itself not infrequently. Acxa had chin-length indigo hair and had originally been pretty serious when they first opened, but had loosened up considerably. Their newest addition, raven-haired Narti, was soft-spoken, but had a sharp wit that could leave people stunned if they weren’t expecting it.

“Ooh, something’s new,” Ezor said when they walked in, “Don’t know what it is, but I like it.”

Her declaration made Acxa look up from the case she was refilling. “Oh, hey guys,” she greeted them.

“You’re not wrong. There is something a little different. But I want to see if you can figure it out,” Lance challenged them.

“Hey, babe,” Ezor called, “C’mere. We’re figuring out what’s going on with these two.”

Zethrid walked out from the kitchen, running a hand through her short but shaggy blue hair. “Somethin’ new, huh? Aright.”

Keith stepped behind Lance, slipping his hands across the Omega dancer’s tight abs. Lance leaned into it, waiting.

Acxa stood, crossing her arms. She stared at them for a long few seconds, then looked over to where Ezor looked like she was trying to mentally unite a knot and Zethrid stared hard, her eyes narrowed. Acxa could tell neither of them had figured it out yet, but she had a fair idea. She had noticed that while Ezor and Zethrid had no hesitation about referring to the other as their girlfriend, neither Lance nor Keith had ever used that kind of title.

“You’re official now, aren’t you?” she asked.

Lance pointed at her. “Acxa wins.”

“Damn it!” Ezor pouted.

Zethrid laughed at her girlfriend’s antics. “Nice, guys. I’ll be out back if you need me,” she said, disappearing into the kitchen once again.

“So what’ll it be tonight?” Acxa asked.

While Lance considered the question, Keith leaned in. “Giant chocolate cupcake?”

“Ooh! Yeah, that. Cinnamon frosting?”

“Sure. How about we bring it back with us?” Keith asked close to Lance’s ear.

The Omega snapped up to look at his boyfriend, knowing what the Alpha was suggesting. “I see no problem with this.”

Ezor giggled, having overheard, as she filled their order. “Have fun,” she called when they left.

Lance hopped up on the small island in Keith’s kitchen, and popped the cupcake box open. He shamelessly swiped a finger across the frosting, licking it off. Keith caught him doing it as he turned around from feeding Red. When Lance went in for another round, Keith stopped him, taking the frosting off Lance’s finger himself. The Alpha closed the box, stepping closer to his boyfriend, who leaned in, capturing Keith’s lips in a kiss. Alabaster hands ran up caramel thighs, gripping his hips. Lance whimpered softly at the sensation, allowing Keith to deepen their cinnamon-scented kiss. Long dancer’s legs wrapped around the solid ripple of muscle in front of him, and Keith picked him up, carrying the Omega to the bedroom.

The next morning, as they lay in bed together, Lance snuggled into Keith’s side when he woke. The Alpha wrapped an arm around him, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. Lance hummed contentedly, laying his own arm across Keith’s waist. Keith’s free hand rubbed Lance’s arm. He breathed in the Omega’s scent, following it with another soft kiss.

“Lance?” Keith whispered.

“Hm?” Lance answered sleepily.

“I love you,” he murmured.

Lance smiled, kissing the pale skin of Keith’s chest. “Love you too, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus:  
> When Lance finally made it in to Oriande later that morning, he pointed at Romelle. "Now he's my boyfriend," he said.
> 
> Also, in case anyone was wondering, secondary genders of the girls:  
> Zethrid - Alpha  
> Ezor - Omega  
> Acxa, Narti - Beta  
> Also, Allura is an Alpha as well
> 
> Greetings, and welcome to the third chapter, supernatural creatures! Since it's so close in the timeline, next chapter will be all about Lance's birthday! I have the chapter after that planned out, and, while it won't be quite as fluffy as the previous four, it does have a happy ending, promise. But, I do want to know what kinds of things y'all want to see from their building relationship. Let me know in the comments. I do read them, and they make my day every time.
> 
> -Corvus


	4. Lance's Birthday - prelude

It had only been two weeks since becoming official. Not that he hadn’t done it before, but Lance was stopping by Luxite more often. He got to surprise Keith with coffee and snacks when he was busy, but it was more often just an excuse to steal a few moments, and maybe a kiss or two, during the day with his boyfriend. Lance had also been getting to know Shiro better. Making friends with his boyfriend’s brother seemed like a good idea.

Shiro wasn’t what he looked like. What he looked like was a 6’2” wall of muscle. Which he was, but the scar that crossed the bridge of his nose, running from cheekbone to cheekbone was from stopping a barfight turning deadly. When he told Lance the story, he said he’d absolutely do it again if he had to. The extensive tattoos on his right arm did nothing to detract from his intimidating air. Until he learned the story behind them. Keith had done every single one of them. Even the earliest ones, from when he was still in his apprenticeship, clearly showed the delicate grace of the Alpha’s personal art style. There was a clear progression in skill level, and while there was no denying the obvious artistic talent in the first set, it was obvious how much he had improved since then, every image might as well have been a signature. It made Lance want one of his own. It gave Shiro an idea. One that he mentioned to his brother one evening when they were locking up.

“Lance’s birthday is coming up soon, right?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, the twenty-eighth. Why?”

“I was telling him about my tats today, and he said that all the stories behind them made him want one.”

Keith stopped, leaving his hand on the key in the back door to the studio. “Huh. Interesting.”

“Maybe bring it up with him?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah. I didn’t even think he was interested,” he said, locking the door, “Won’t be tonight. He’s at his parents’ for the night. But I’ll definitely ask him about it.”

Shiro had another idea. “If you’re not going to be with Lance tonight, wanna do a takeout and sci-fi night?”

Keith quirked an eyebrow at his brother. “How low are you willing to go?”

“SyFy bad.”

“Oh you’re on.”

Keith headed directly to his apartment to feed Red and get set up while Shiro picked up Chinese takeout from down the street. When they were halfway through their second terrible made-for-tv sci-fi, Shiro nudged Keith’s foot from where he was sprawled across half of the sofa. Keith didn’t respond, so he did it again. He kept doing it until he got a response.

“Fuck, Shiro! What?” Keith demanded.

“Have you thought about what you want to do for Lance’s birthday yet?”

“Not exactly,” the younger Alpha admitted, “I was going to ask him what he wanted to do tomorrow. It’s why he’s at his parents’ tonight. He said they always do a family thing, and there’s a lot of family. I was going to let him decide what he wanted to do with just us.”

“Aww, look at you being all romantic. Getting soft, little brother,” Shiro teased.

“Fuck off, Takashi.” Keith finished his beer and got up. “You want another one, asshole?”

Shiro laughed, passing over his empty bottle. “Get me a Black Lion this time.”

Keith tossed both empty bottles in the sink on the way to the fridge. “Oh, right,” he said, retrieving a Red for himself and a Black for Shiro, “You like chewing your beer. Not that you care, but they’re coming out with a Yellow Lion soon. IPAs are too thin for you, I know.”

“That’s like, one step away from lite. No.”

Keith never understood Shiro and his love of stout. Too strong. Too thick. But, he’d supposed, it was a fair representation of them as people. Both stout and Keith’s red ale were made from the same ingredients, but at different ratios, so even though they had the same foundation, they were very different things. It was still beer. Shiro and Keith were brothers. They came from the same parents. They grew up together, and were exposed to the same things, but had grown into different people. Didn’t make them any less family.

He popped the tops off both bottles before returning to the sofa. His apartment had an open living space combining living room, kitchen, and dining room, which opened onto the balcony. The short hallway to his bedroom and bathroom was the only thing that marked the change from kitchen to living room. Despite being an artist, Keith wasn’t much for interior decorating. The walls that weren’t exposed brick were white, and he left the old hardwood floors bare. Even his sheets and ridiculously fluffy comforter were white. Lance had called it minimalist, not that Keith argued with the assessment.

Shiro accepted the bottle, and Keith settled back into the squishy – solid grey – sofa to continue their marathon. It continued until one in the morning, and Keith left Shiro on the sofa when the last awful movie ended, yawning and padding off to his own bed on bare feet. Red was in the exact center of the queen bed, demonstrating his displeasure at having been kicked out of the living room. He squeaked when Keith moved him, but settled down quickly. Both human and cat were asleep in seconds.

The next day, Lance appeared at Luxite at lunchtime, takeout from the pub down the street in hand. He had been so busy with rehearsal for the show at the end of the month he hadn’t had time for their usual coffee run. And business had picked up considerably at Luxite, keeping both Keith and Shiro busy. He set it on the counter, where Shiro grabbed his and took off for the back room while he had a minute.

As soon as Keith could get away from a particularly chatty client, he charged Lance, wrapping his arms around the Omega’s slim waist. “Fuck, I love you. I haven’t been able to breathe all day. This is getting ridiculous,” he stopped, noticing the distinct pale blue cup on the counter, “Did you seriously –”

“Get you an Irish Coffee shake from Scaultrite?” Lance finished, “Yes I did. Better get to it before it melts.”

The Alpha pulled his boyfriend in for a quick kiss, then realized that his brother was missing. “Where’s Shiro?” he asked, looking around.

“Grabbed his lunch and took off for the back,” Lance answered.

“Well, we’ll just kick him out then. I have a question for you. Two, actually.”

“About what?” the Omega wondered aloud, following his boyfriend to the back office of Luxite.

They called it the back office, but it was really more like a living room/kitchen than an office. They could get away with calling it an office only because it had a desk in one corner that was rarely used. The majority of the room was taken up by the oversized sofa against one wall, an equally-sized coffee table, and a counter space on the opposite wall with a microwave, toaster oven, and coffee maker. There was also, for no reason that anyone could guess, a large window that gave a lovely view of the alley behind the studio.

Shiro was planted on the sofa. He had finished his lunch and was just sitting and scrolling through the studio’s social media.

“Oh good, you're done,” Keith said with an obnoxiously perky tone, “You can fuck off now.”

Shiro looked up at him, challenging his brother’s seriousness.

“Come on, off you fuck. My shake’s melting and you're in the way.”

The older Alpha got up, leaning in when he passed Lance. “Can you fix whatever the fuck is wrong with him? I’ve been trying for almost twenty-three years and I haven’t been able to yet. Maybe you'll have better luck.”

Lance snickered, and then burst out laughing when the throw pillow Keith launched hit Shiro directly in the face. Shiro threw the pillow back and left to reopen the studio. Keith patted the sofa on the other side, inviting Lance over. The Omega settled in sideways, leaning against the armrest, and draping his legs across Keith’s lap.

“So, what’s this question? Or, two of them,” Lance asked, picking up his own lunch.

Keith finally put his shake down. “Fuck, I needed that. Well, they’re kind of related. First, what did you want to do for your birthday? Just us, I mean. I know you're doing your big family thing, but I wanted to do something else. Whatever you want.”

“Oh,” Lance said, surprised, “I don’t know. My family thing is always really draining. I have an enormous family and basically all of them show up. Just stay in, maybe? Yeah, I think I’d like something quiet. Some time to decompress.”

Keith thought about it for a minute. “How about this? How about you come over to my place, I’ll make dinner, because unlike my brother, I actually know what a kitchen is for, and we can snuggle on the sofa and have a marathon of your favorite movies.”

Lance stopped tearing bits off the chicken strip in his fingers and stared at his boyfriend. “That sounds fucking amazing. Holy shit, I love you.”

Keith blushed, something that still hadn’t faded with time and that Lance still found obnoxiously endearing. He looked down, rubbing the back of his fingers on Lance’s leg. “Love you too, babe,” he said quietly.

Lance took Keith’s hand, weaving their fingertips together. “What was your other question?”

That brought Keith back to the present. “Well, Shiro was telling me about how you two were talking about all the tattoos on his arm. And that he told you the stories behind them. And that you said that it made you want one.”

“Oh. Well, yeah. Hearing the stories behind them and what they mean made me see them differently. It also made me wonder why you’ve never talked about yours.”

Surprisingly, Keith only had one. It covered most of his back. He had a pair of golden, feathered wings extending from shoulder to waist. They were done in a way that made them look natural, as if they were a part of Keith’s anatomy. They also looked soft and metallic, though Lance knew that was through expert-level shading. The other thing that had struck Lance about them was that those wings were clearly in Keith’s own artistic style.

“There’s not much to tell, actually. I wanted something to mark the end of my two-year apprenticeship, and my mentor wanted an artistic challenge. So, I drew the original illustration of what I wanted, and he challenged himself to copy my style.”

“Well he succeeded. It looks like you did that to yourself.”

Keith chuckled. “I’ll tell him you said that. But, if you decide you really want one, I’ll do it. Have you ever thought about what you might want?”

Lance thought about it for a minute. “I don’t know. But you would? Really?”

“Yeah, of course. I didn’t have any idea you were interested in one of your own until Shiro brought it up.”

Lance went back to picking his chicken strips apart. It was an odd habit of his that Keith had noticed before. And one that Lance had no real answer for. It was just something he’d always done. Keith had thought it was a little weird at first, but now he found it kind of cute. It made him think of a little Lance doing it, which shifted into thinking about their own pups doing it.

 _Well, that’s new. Calm your tits, Kogane,_ he thought, _You’ve only been with him for three months._

“I’d thought about it before,” Lance was saying, shaking Keith from his thoughts, “But I never got far enough to think about what I’d want. Or where.”

Keith went back to his own lunch, which he had forgotten about. “Well, give it some thought. I’m guessing that you can’t have anything too big.”

Lance realized what he meant. Nothing that would be obvious when he was performing. He waved a hand dismissively. “Anything I got would have to be covered with makeup anyway.”

Shiro leaned in from the hallway. “You have fifteen minutes before your next client,” he said, then disappeared.

“Well, shit. I didn’t mean to have to rush through lunch. I’m sorry, baby. I’ll make up for it later,” Keith said apologetically.

“It’s fine. I have to get back to Oriande soon anyway. The choreographer is a nightmare and changed another part of my dance with Allura. And some of her solo part. She’d just gotten comfortable with it, too,” Lance answered.

The rest of lunch was short. Keith followed Lance to the door, not letting him leave without a kiss. One that happened to be in front of Keith’s after lunch client. Lance disentangled himself, waving his fingers over his shoulder as he left. The client watched Lance go, not bothering to hide the appreciation on his face, or in his Alpha scent.

“Cute Omega,” he said, still watching as Lance crossed the street to Oriande.

Keith stiffened, crossing his arms. “Yeah. He is,” he said, voice clipped, letting his pheromones say what he wouldn’t out loud.

It was enough to gain Shiro’s attention from the room he used for his own clients. He walked in, starting to ask what had gotten Keith’s back up, but when he saw Keith’s defensive stance and the other Alpha caught between wanting to posture over what Shiro assumed was Lance leaving, and backing down, he stopped. He would only back Keith up if he needed it. The other Alpha got the hint that Lance was spoken for and backed down, but he clearly wasn’t happy about it.

“Yeah, ok,” he said, his scent dying down.

Keith didn’t relax, but did motion for his client to follow. Shiro had a few clients of his own during that time, but could smell the tension from across the small corridor for the entirety of Keith’s appointment. He came back out to the front of the studio when he heard the argument start.

“No, you can find another studio to finish your piece,” Keith was saying, “I don’t want you back in here again.”

Shiro walked in to find Keith and his client facing each other. The client was trying to physically intimidate Keith, but Shiro knew that would never work. Keith, on the other hand, was exuding his quiet dominance that often confused other Alphas. This one certainly didn’t seem to know what to make of it. He continued trying to use his physicality as a way to show dominance, not understanding that he had already lost.

“You can’t just refuse me! I’m paying you to finish this!” the other Alpha shouted.

Keith ignored the rise in volume. “No, you paid for your session today. Nothing more than that. Now get out. Like I told you, find someone else. You haven’t made another appointment, and I am not obligated to finish. Leave. Now.” His voice was soft, but his scent more than made up for it and left no room for further argument.

The client understood immediately and left quickly, his scent bitter with anger, but with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

The second the door closed, Keith exploded. He paced the waiting area, fuming. “That fucking Alpha!” he growled, “Who the fuck does he think he is? He thinks he can just come in and claim any unmated Omega he feels like. Doesn’t matter to him if that Omega is with someone else. No, all he cares about is a mating mark! Fuck that. Marking isn’t the only important thing. It’s not fucking up to him. I’m not marking Lance until and if he wants me to. It’s not the most important thing in the world.”

Shiro grabbed both of Keith’s arms by the shoulder, holding him in place. Keith flinched, his scent becoming aggressive until he realized it was his brother holding him. He didn’t relax, but he did stop.

“Take a minute to breathe,” Shiro said, “He’s gone now. Lance is safe at Oriande. Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Keith asked, unable to keep the residue of a growl out of his voice.

Shiro led him to the front door, opening it to the warm summer air. He led Keith outside, and the younger Alpha reflexively looked up. There, in the window, was Lance, dancing playfully and laughing with Allura. It was immediately calming to see his boyfriend safe. Keith suddenly wanted nothing more than to both run over and have Lance safe in his arms, and to be alone with his sketch book. Unfortunately, his schedule for the day was booked solid, and he only had maybe five minutes before his next appointment. It felt like Shiro knew what he was thinking.

“Go on,” he said from where he was leaning back against the doorframe, “I’ll tell your next client you’ll be back in a minute.”

Keith barely checked for traffic before charging across the street. He ran up the flight of stairs to Oriande, barreling into the reception area. Romelle was there, startled by Keith’s sudden appearance.

“Oh, hi, Keith,” she said when she recovered, “Would you like to me to get Lance for you?”

He reined himself in. The threat was gone, but the Alpha in him needed to see that Lance was safe. “Please,” he said, his voice strained.

She nodded and left, clearly worried about him. Barely a minute later, she returned with Lance in tow, who, though surprised, still lit up at the sight of his boyfriend.

“Hey, what’s up?” the Omega asked, but then he closed the distance between them. “Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Keith wrapped his arms tightly around Lance’s waist, burying his nose in the dancer’s scent gland. “Nothing anymore. It was that Alpha that came in when you left. He tried to challenge me. First when you’d just left, and then again when we were finishing up for the day. He decided that you were some _thing_ for him to conquer. I kicked him out. Told him to find another studio. I just – I needed to see you. I couldn’t calm down. I’m sorry I pulled you away from your practice.”

“Oh, baby,” Lance sighed. He wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders ran his fingers through the Alpha’s hair, the hair tie slipping off easily. “You’re ok. I’m safe. I have never felt safer than when I’m with you. I love you; you know that. I can just come over tonight. Order in. Throw on one of your favorite awful sci-fi movies. Just snuggle. Just us and Red. We can talk about what pretty thing you’ll be putting on me. Sound good?” He kept his voice soft, the words meant for only them.

Keith nodded. Being in physical contact with Lance was calming him down faster than he thought possible. He hadn’t realized how much his boyfriend’s scent affected him, or how quickly it had happened. He didn’t know why whatever power was out there had decided that it would grace him with Lance’s presence, but he was thankful for it. Lance seemed to sense that, and held the Alpha tighter.

Keith took a deep breath, feeling himself settle back down completely. “I’m ok now. I’m good. Sorry, I really shouldn’t have just rushed over here like this. I should be able to take care of my own shit like the adult I claim to be.”

Lance laughed softly. “It’s ok. It’s just part of your Alpha nature. You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Yeah, I guess. I should get going. My next appointment’s waiting.” His words said one thing, but his grip on Lance said another.

The Omega released himself, startling Keith, who looked up. Lance had a quiet smile that Keith lost sight of as Lance pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said, then stepped back.

Lance didn’t turn around until after Keith had gone. He found Allura and Romelle staring at him. “What?” he asked.

“Is everything alright?” Allura asked.

“Fine. We should get back to practice,” he said and dragged her back to their practice room.

“Would you mind telling me what in the hell is going on?” she asked once the door was closed and they were alone.

But Lance wasn’t quiet and controlled like he’d been in reception. He was excited. And maybe a little nervous? But then he started talking, and it all became clear. “Holy fucking shit, Allura. You will not believe what just happened. I mean, not that I _want_ Keith to be upset, I don’t. But that happened, and, holy fuck, the way he reacted to it. I mean, I get it, he’s an Alpha, and that’s just how it works, but like, I didn’t think he’d react like _that_. I mean, that’s like almost mate-pair level shit, and –”

“Slow down. What happened?” Allura needed to stop Lance’s rambling. He wasn’t making any sense that she could determine, and hadn’t even answered her question.

“Ok, so, you know I went over to Luxite with lunch, right? So, when I was leaving, Keith wouldn’t let me go without a kiss. I know, scary Alpha is such a softie. Anyway, that was when his next client came in. And he fucking reeked. Gross, nasty Alpha smell. I just _knew_ he was eyeing me, but I ignored it, cuz, even if I didn’t have Keith, I wouldn’t have even looked at this guy. So anyway, after I left, I guess he challenged Keith. Over me. Keith stood up to him and the guy backed down. They had their session, and then he challenged Keith again. And got kicked out for it. And my sweet, amazing boyfriend lost his shit. And then ran over here just to see me. So he could fucking calm down. Is this really happening, Allura, or am I just dreaming? Like, what the fuck? I was pretty sure he couldn’t get any more perfect, but then _that_ happened.”

Allura understood. As an Alpha herself, she would have reacted almost the same way if Romelle were an Omega and someone tried to challenge her. She understood where Keith was coming from, and how he felt. “He really does love you,” she said with no trace of uncertainty.

“I know,” Lance agreed, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. “I don’t want to be mated yet. I just don’t think I'm ready for it, and neither is he. And I know we’ve only been together for three and a half months, but I feel like that’s where we’re headed, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Allura laughed. “Just slow down. No one’s talking about mating. Focus on what you have now. And what you have now is an Alpha boyfriend who loves you. Don’t worry about where it’s going, just enjoy it for what it is. And if you end up with his mark on you, then that’s where it’s going.”

Lance hugged her. He was just so excited he couldn’t help it. His best friend was fully supporting him in his relationship. Not that she hadn’t been supportive before, but this was different. His Alpha best friend approved of the Alpha her Omega best friend was seeing. He stepped back and refocused his excitement into their practice. They nailed the new choreography by the end of the day.

He ran back to his apartment long enough to shower and change, and headed over to Keith’s. The Alpha was in a much better mood than he had been earlier, and Lance saw the pile of bedsheets on the sofa. It had been well-established that no matter the season or point in his cycle, Lance liked to nest. Keith couldn’t handle piles of blankets in the middle of summer, so they had compromised. With the sheets, Lance got to nest and Keith didn’t suffocate.

“So, I was thinking of ordering from Sal’s and going to pick it up while you get set up?” Keith asked after Lance had come in and greeted both his boyfriend and Red.

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, slipping his hands into the Alpha’s back pockets. “Yeah, I like this plan.”

A smile spread across Keith’s face. “You having fun back there?” he asked, teasing.

“I just like grabbing your ass,” Lance answered unapologetically.

Keith just laughed and pulled Lance in for a kiss before removing the Omega’s hands from his pockets. Lance pouted, a small whine escaping. “If we’re ordering in tonight, I have to be able to do it.”

“You can do it with my hands on your ass. I see no problem with this.”

“You,” Keith said, picking Lance up and depositing him on the sofa, “Are a huge distraction. I’m going to go call, Nyma will probably pick up knowing my luck, and you can pick what we’re watching.”

Lance folded his arms with a mock huff from where he’d been dropped. “Fine. Not like I can’t see you from here.”

Keith rolled his eyes and made the call to Sal’s. Nyma, did in fact, pick up, and gave just as much shit as she usually did. Keith gave as good as he got, and if Lance didn’t know either of them, he wouldn’t have noticed Keith order for them both during their conversation. But he did know them, and had a fair idea of what Nyma was saying based on Keith’s reactions. By the time Keith hung up, Lance was glad he was lying on the sofa he was laughing so hard. To be fair, Keith was laughing almost as hard. He collapsed beside his boyfriend, attempting to collect himself.

“Ok – ok – we – we still have to – have to – fuck – decide what we’re watching later,” Keith managed while trying to stop laughing.

Lance was still giggling, but rolled himself upright, swinging his legs across Keith and over, pushing himself to the floor. “So, what are you more in the mood for? I know I suggested your favorite bad sci-fi earlier.”

“I dunno,” he thought about it briefly, “Y’know what I haven’t seen in forever? Labyrinth.”

Lance spun around. “Yes! Fuck, David Bowie was hot in that.”

“There’s a hard copy on the top shelf.”

It was quickly located and set up in the DVD player, ready and waiting for when Keith came back from Sal’s. The Alpha dragged himself off the sofa and put his boots back on, heading out to pick up dinner. Lance got started on his nest, having to remove Red from the middle of it three times before banishing the kitten to the bedroom. He was just finishing and letting Red back out when Keith came back, a familiar blue bag along with the brown paper one from Sal’s.

“I decided we needed it,” he said as an explanation.

After dinner, they settled into Lance’s nest. Keith tucked himself against the back, as usual, Lance wrapped in his arms. They talked along with the movie, reciting lines and being ridiculous, Lance unashamedly singing along with David Bowie every time. When it was over, they let the end credits play and switch back to the menu, allowing it to loop as they talked.

“So,” Lance said, rolling onto his back, “You’re coming to my family birthday, right?”

“If that’s what you want. I don’t have to. But I would like to meet your parents on their own first.”

Lance nodded, still feeling a little silly from the movie. “That’s what I want. I want you to meet my family. And we can totally get together with my parents before that. They want to meet you, too. I’ve told them all about you, and they want to meet this Alpha I’ve fallen for.”

“You have?” Keith asked quietly.

“Even if I hadn’t, I did after today. I don’t like seeing you upset like that. But when you just showed up like that and told me what happened. . . I just – the way it made me feel, knowing that out of everything you could have done, even just staying there and blowing off steam at Shiro, you chose to come to me. Even though there was no way for that guy to get to me, you came over to make sure I was safe. There wasn’t, but if there had been any doubt that you love me, there wasn’t after that. And I love you so much. And I don’t think that’s going away. Probably not ever.”

Keith was well aware that Lance wore his emotions on the outside. But for him to express himself verbally like that was rare. It meant that Keith knew how much Lance meant everything he said. Alpha and Omega were considered to be at the top of natural order. Keith had never cared for that thought process. There was nothing wrong at all with Betas mating and reproducing with other dynamics. But right then, he understood it. The deep, primal, instinctual need to love and protect the Omega beside him. He had understood it earlier that day, but he was too angry to listen. But there, at that moment, he understood it. He had dated across all secondary genders, but nothing felt like the pull he felt to Lance.

Lance hadn’t been able to look away from the indigo gaze that held his. He meant everything he said. There had been a moment when Keith came to him that afternoon, a moment when he was still running his fingers through Keith’s hair, talking to him softly, where he hadn’t thought of Keith as his boyfriend. The thought that came to him was that he needed to be there to soothe _his_ Alpha. As though they were already mated. It had surprised him, but it felt right. Like that was how it was supposed to be. There was no such thing as soulmates. But he couldn’t deny that he felt that Keith was his Alpha just as much as he was Keith’s Omega. Like there was no other way it could be.

“I do love you,” Keith said after a minute, “More than I could ever say. I think I knew that, but that Alpha made me realize it consciously. I did blow off steam at Shiro at first, but then he made step outside. And I saw you in the window with Allura. And I needed to be with you. Right then, didn’t matter that I had another appointment in a few minutes.”

Lance wiped away a tear that threatened to spill over. “We were supposed to keep it light tonight,” he said, trying to keep his emotions from overwhelming him.

Keith could smell it on him. The bitterness of anger at the Alpha that had upset him, the softened acidity of sorrow at having seen him like that, nearly overwhelmed by the sweet, heady rush of unfiltered love. Everything was so pronounced he wondered how Lance could hold it all in. The Omega felt everything so intensely, and in retrospect, Keith should have known how it would affect him. So he did what he could in that moment. He feathered kisses across the Omega’s perfect skin. When the bitterness and acidity faded, they were replaced by the liquid, airy scent of Lance’s contentment. While rare, some Omegas had a tendency to produce a soft purring sound when they felt completely safe. It was a sound they only made when with their mates, and Lance was making that very sound.

Keith stopped and pulled back. He had heard of it happening, but he never expected Lance to do it, and from the look on his face, neither did Lance. They both knew what it meant. Not only that Lance felt totally safe and secure, but that he thought of Keith as his mate.

“What now?” Lance whispered, the purr still going.

Keith couldn’t deny that he felt the same way. “What do you want?” he asked in return.

“I want to be with you. But I'm not ready to be mated yet. I want to wait.”

The Alpha nodded without hesitation. “Then we’ll keep going as we are. Keep taking it slow. I’ll only ever do something when you’re ready for it.”

Lance threw his arms around Keith, pulling him in tightly. Keith could feel the Omega purr rumbling in Lance’s chest, and nothing had ever felt that soothing. He wanted absolutely nothing more than to breathe in the Omega’s scent, feel the soft rumbling vibration of his purr, and just be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, my critters, this is not at all what I had intended for it to be. But here it is. I had meant for this to be about Lance's birthday, so I'll get to that in the next chapter. I have also realized that there are a couple things that I wanted to get to before the not-quite-as-fluffy chapter. That one will still be coming, but it will just have to wait a bit. I'm going to try to post the birthday chapter on Wednesday, but it may be a day or two late. Until then!
> 
> -Corvus


	5. Lance's Birthday - continued

They never did end up discussing Lance’s potential tattoo that night. Keith fell asleep, there on the sofa, pressed against Lance’s purr, long thin fingers combing through his hair. Lance fell asleep almost immediately after. When they woke up the next morning, they were both stiff and sore, and Lance was scheduled to rehearse his silks that day. Keith wouldn’t let Lance leave without a gentle, full-body massage that left the Omega purring again.

“That thing is dangerous,” Keith said about it.

“I just hope I can figure out how to control it,” Lance replied, the vibrating rumble leaking into his voice.

“Holy shit that’s adorable.”

Lance playfully backhanded Keith’s chest, but the Alpha just laughed, and Lance’s purr got louder. He groaned in annoyance, the purr echoing through the sound. That purr, and everything that went with it, was quickly becoming Keith’s new favorite sound. He couldn’t help that he loved the way it sounded echoed through Lance’s voice, he just did.

Lance refused to say anything else until the purring stopped. It took fifteen minutes.

“Ok,” he said once he’d finally stopped, “I’m going to go back to my apartment to change. Meet me at Balmera for breakfast?”

“Mm,” Keith hummed, then caught Lance before he could leave, “Do you mind if I tell Shiro? About last night, I mean.”

“No, of course not. He was there for it, with that Alpha, I mean. And he’s your brother. I mean, I’ll probably tell Allura all about it. She’s my best friend and I tell her everything. Not my siblings. Assholes don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.”

Keith snorted. “Meeting them is going to be interesting.”

“Oh, you have no idea. Just, prepare to be interrogated. Balmera. One hour.” Lance rushed in, capturing his boyfriend’s face in his hands and lips with his own. “Yeah, that’s never getting old,” he whispered, pulling away.

“Not at all,” Keith agreed.

Lance went to his apartment, changed, his morning routine finished, dance bag safely in his car, and back to Oriande in just under an hour. He parked behind the building as usual, cutting through the first floor to get to the street and over to Balmera. He found Keith waiting for him, sitting at a table with his sketch book out. He didn’t notice Lance come up beside him, he was so focused on his sketching.

There didn’t seem to be anything immediately recognizable, but the page was full of motion. Lance didn’t know what he was looking at, but he knew it was moving. Longer lines curved and twisted through and around one another, shorter lines gave some a sense of speed. Some lines connected, while others were left to float freely. But then Keith turned to the next page, and Lance realized that the abstract lines were practice runs for what he was really working on. It was simplified, a figure that flowed into their surrounding. It occurred to Lance with a start that it was a dancer, wrapped and suspended in aerial silks. It was graceful and elegant, implied fluidity effectively conveyed.

“It’s you, y’know,” Keith said quietly. He hadn’t looked up from his work, or stopped. The Alpha turned his phone’s screen back on, pressing his thumb to the scanner. Oriande’s site appeared, pictures from past performances showing. Allura wasn’t shy about admitting that Lance was very prominently featured under aerial silks. Keith switched tabs, bringing up a picture from a performance the previous winter. The held position was identical to the one Keith had drawn.

They both heard Keith’s name called, and the Alpha slid off the high seat. “That’s us,” he said.

“You already ordered for me?” Lance asked, to which Keith just nodded as he went. The Omega wasn’t upset by it. It was one more way he was continuing to fall in love with this Alpha. His Alpha. It meant that Keith was paying attention to Lance’s rehearsal schedule, and how that affected his eating habits. It meant that Keith knew how to adjust Lance’s order to fit that dietary shift. Lance had to quickly seat himself across from where Keith had been and focus on anything else to keep himself from purring again when the Alpha returned.

Unfortunately, the thing that caught his attention first was the open sketchbook on the table in front of him. He found himself visually tracing along the lines and curves, the way the lines of the dancer’s – his – body flowed into the lines of the silks, like they were a single being, like they were liquid. It was how he felt when he was dancing. Liquid and flowing, almost weightless. Keith said that he knew nothing about dance, and yet he’d still managed to capture how Lance felt with it on paper. It gave Lance an idea. A couple ideas, really.

His train of thought was halted by the sudden appearance of a tea cup on the table, followed by the exact thing he would have ordered for himself had he been there.

“You like it?” Keith asked, nodding toward the open sketchbook.

“I really do. It looks like how I feel when I'm up there, fluid and free. It gave me a couple ideas.”

“About what?” he asked, sitting back down and moving the sketchbook to make space on the table.

“Well, first, would you want to come by the studio on a day off to watch my practice? So you can see what it really looks like.”

Keith lit up at the suggestion. “Baby, I’d love to. I thought about it, but I wasn’t sure if that was something you'd be ok with.”

Lance smiled around the lip of his cup. If someone had told him four months ago that Alphas could be this sweet, he would have called bullshit and laughed. But now he knew different. The Alpha across the table from him had done nothing but prove that over and over.

“Totally ok with it,” he said, putting his cup down, “And I think I know what I want.” He reached over and tapped the sketch Keith had been working on. “But just the silks.”

“Yeah. I like it. I’ll come up with a few things and we’ll see what you like.”

Lance found that he was more focused than usual that day. Allura noticed it too, and brought it up during a break.

“You’re particularly into it today,” she said, sinking into the sofa in the breakroom, “Something happen last night?”

Lance dropped down beside her, playing with his water bottle. “You could say that.”

She turned her entire body to face him. “And what does that mean?”

“We were supposed to just stay in, cuddle on the couch, watch something, y’know? And we did. We ordered takeout, I made a Keith-safe nest on the couch, watched Labyrinth – David Bowie? Yes, please – and then I asked about Keith coming to my family birthday thing, and conversation turned weirdly serious. I admitted that I’ve totally fallen for him, and I said that even if I hadn’t before, that yesterday kinda sealed it. And then we talked about it, and realized that we’re both on the same page that way. But then the really, like _really_ weird, thing happened. I got kinda emotional, not that weird for me, but still. And Keith got more snuggly to make me feel better, and that was when the super weird thing happened. Y’know how sometimes, some Omegas purr with their mates? I might have done that. And then again this morning after we woke up on the couch. Keith fell asleep pressed up against me while I was still purring, and I have never slept better than when I'm with him, and kinda passed out just after he did. Anyway, we both woke up pretty stiff, and he might have insisted on giving me a full-body massage before I left for my place to change and grab my bag. And that might have set off purring again.”

Allura was stunned. She knew exactly what the purring meant. “But you’re not mated. How?”

“I don’t think the mate-bond is the important part. Part of what we talked about was that when he was here yesterday, there was this one point where I wasn’t thinking of him as my boyfriend, I was thinking of him as my Alpha. When I told him that, he asked me what I wanted. I want to be with him, I want him to officially be my Alpha someday, but I'm just not ready for it. I told him that, and he said that we’ll go at whatever pace I'm comfortable with. He’s hiding a body in the basement. He has to be. Alphas like him don’t really exist.”

Allura choked on her water laughing at the last part. She knew she was far from perfect as an Alpha. Romelle had no hesitation with calling her out on her Alpha possessiveness when they’d first started dating. It was something she’d worked on to get where she was. But she had gotten to know Keith over the course of the last three months and she knew he was genuine as he appeared. But she also understood where Lance was coming from. Omegas, for the most part, had learned to be cautious with Alphas since they never knew whether the charming demeanor was real or not. It was an attitude that kept them safe.

“He was _fucking purring_ , Shiro. You know what that means. And, fuck, I love him. So I said that we’d go at his pace, and I meant that. I won’t do anything he’s not comfortable with.” Keith was rambling while tucked up on the chair behind the counter at Luxite, his brother leaning against the display case/counter.

Shiro stood up. “Wait. Repeat that?”

Keith finally looked up from his sketchbook. “Which part?”

“Did you say that Lance was _purring_?”

“Yeah. We were talking about what happened yesterday, and it just fucking happened. And then it happened again this morning. It’s actually really cute.”

“It’s been three months. Three months, and my little brother is completely gone. It’s a good thing. Just don’t knot him until you’re mated. Please.”

“Too late,” Keith said into his sketchbook.

“Ok, didn’t need to hear that. Also, what the fuck?”

“What? Come on, Shiro, you knew I was with him during his last heat a month ago. What did you think was going to happen?”

Shiro just shook his head. “Nothing I ever needed to know about.”

“Hi, Mami,” Lance said, sneaking up behind his mother.

She jumped and turned around, scolding him with the wooden spoon in her hand. “Lance Rafael, don’t do that!”

He just laughed, and Marisol melted under her youngest’s sweet smile. She always had.

“Now, mijo, what’s going on?” she asked, turning back to her cooking.

“I don’t even know where to start. So, something happened yesterday, and, I don’t even know anymore.” He dropped into one the chairs at the kitchen table. “I brought lunch over to Luxite yesterday, what with my rehearsals being insane, and Keith’s been really busy. Anyway, there was this guy that came in when I was leaving. Alpha. One of the gross ones. Like, I could feel him staring. But that’s not what happened. Well, it kinda is, but not really. It was more what happened after that. So, I went back to Oriande. But that’s not really part of it, well, kinda –”

“Lance, please,” Marisol asked him with the tiredness and patience of having raised five children and being used to Lance’s rambling.

“The Alpha was Keith’s next appointment. And basically, as soon as I left this asshole challenged him. And Keith, being the Alpha he is, made the guy back down pretty quick even if he was still pissed about it. They got through their session, and then the guy challenged Keith again. And that’s when he got kicked out. And when he left, Keith just lost it. So he came over to Oriande just to see me. He couldn’t calm down, so he came to me. And then last night, we were planning on a snuggles and movie night, but we started talking about what happened – he wants to meet you and Papá before the party, that came up too – and I got kinda upset about it, so Keith got more snuggly just to make me feel better, and, um, I _might_ have um. . .so, turns out I'm one of the Omegas that purrs.”

Marisol stopped what she was doing and turned around. “I’m sorry, mijo, I think I didn’t hear you right. Because it sounded like you just told me that you’re one of the Omegas that purr. Something that only happens with mate-pairs. And I know you’re not mated. I know how much you love that boy; I'm not arguing that. But you two aren’t mated, so, you mind telling me how you found that out?”

“I was talking to Allura about that earlier. I don’t think it’s being mated that’s the important part. And it wasn’t a conscious choice, but I realized yesterday that I kind of already think of him as my mate. I told him that, and that I’m not ready to be mated yet, I know I'm not, and he said we’d that take things slow, and only do what I'm comfortable with.”

“Keep him,” she said, pointing at her youngest with her spoon, “You keep that boy.”

“I’m planning on it, Mamá. So when do you want to meet him?”

“Saturday. Your sister won’t be here.”

Saturday night, Lance’s car pulled into the driveway of his parents’ 1930s 3-story brick house. The outside may have been typical for its construction period, with bay windows on the first and second floors and sloped roof, but once Lance opened the front door, it was entirely different. Eclectic, is what he’d called it, and Keith really couldn’t argue. There were things that definitely came from his parents’ native Cuba, but there were patterns and textures and colors from all over the world that lived together comfortably. Keith even noticed traditional Japanese patterns among the chaotic harmony. Lance had said that his apartment looked like a miniature version of his parents’ house, and now Keith understood why.

Both Angel and Marisol were tall and thin like Lance, but Keith decided that he definitely looked more like his mother. Where Angel had thick, straight black hair and hazel brown eyes, Marisol had curls the same chocolate brown as Lance, and he also had her intense blue eyes.

Keith had thought that Lance might hold back, but apparently introducing his boyfriend to his parents wasn’t an occasion to avoid his usual level of physical affection. The second Marisol had them all settled in the living room with coffee for Angel and Keith, and tea for herself and Lance, Keith found the Omega’s arms draped across his shoulders.

Marisol looked up from her cup. “Lance, you’re still not a cat.”

“I don’t know,” Keith said, “He has a lot in common with Red.”

Lance smacked his shoulder, but his mother’s eyes sparkled with her laughter.

“Who’s Red?” Angel asked.

“My kitten. I found him and the rest of his litter abandoned behind my studio about a month and a half ago. His siblings went to the animal shelter, but I adopted him.”

“Oh, oh. You have to show the pictures of what he did the other day,” Lance said as he flailed in Keith’s direction.

Keith pulled up the pictures of Red stuck to the side of the sofa. He had tried again to jump up, but was still too small, and ended up stuck to the side, wondering how he got there and how he was getting down. Keith had unashamedly taken pictures of the kitten before helping him. Both Angel and Marisol couldn’t help laughing, even as they tried to sympathize with the kitten.

Lance’s parents quickly understood what had drawn their youngest child to the Alpha. Keith didn’t mince words, but it wasn’t a negative thing in his case. They saw that he was genuine in everything he did, including his love for their son. Marisol, in particular, understood what had drawn Lance to Keith. His own natural scent of leather, woods, and a familiar note that tickled something in her memory was welcoming and natural. He didn’t reek of aggression the way some Alphas did. Angel, being a Beta, took his cues from his mate’s reactions mostly. He trusted her, and she was completely at ease with this Alpha their son was seriously dating.

They called the end of the evening around ten, as Keith had to be up to open Luxite in the morning. Marisol asked him about that on their way out, and Keith said that he had Mondays off, but the weekends were always busier, so it made more sense to stay open then. The Alpha couldn’t escape Lance’s tactile mother, finding himself in an oddly familiar hug in the doorway. It occurred to him that it was like being hugged by a female version of Lance.

Marisol stopped her son before he could leave after Keith. “I like him. Definitely keep this one.”

“That’s the plan, Mami. I really do love him,” he said.

“I can see it. And that he loves you just as much. We’ll see you two for your birthday party.” She hugged him one more time before letting him go.

“So,” Lance asked once they were on the way back to Keith’s apartment, “What did you think of my parents?”

“I like them. A little cautious at first, but that’s not a bad thing. You look just like your mom, though.”

Lance laughed. “I know I do. It’s been a running joke for years that she had me without Papi’s help. She loves you, by the way. Told me that I have to keep you.”

Keith laced their hands together over the center console. “I’m pretty certain that’s the plan.”

The Omega couldn’t stop the faint purr that started. Keith laughed softly, kissing his boyfriend’s fingers.

“Not helping,” Lance said while trying to focus on driving.

They made it back in one piece, Lance’s purr only intensifying when he was back in Keith's arms again. He never did make it back to his own apartment that night.

Keith went into Oriande with Lance on Monday morning. It was the last day before dress rehearsals started, and Lance wanted to make the most of it. He and Allura had agreed that he would spend the morning rehearsing the silks routine, while she practiced her solo dance, and then they would meet up after lunch to go over their paired dance again. Lance led Keith around to the high-ceilinged room at the back of Oriande where the aerial silks lived. Keith got himself settled with his sketchbook while Lance got the music queued.

Keith had never sat in on one of Lance’s practices, or gotten to see him perform yet. He knew the Omega was a seasoned performer, but watching him wrapped in the silks, twisting, climbing, holding positions, and executing short drops with a practiced ease was mesmerizing. It was the end of the routine that nearly gave him a heart attack. Lance had wrapped himself into the silk over and over, climbing high, then let go, spinning horizontally toward the floor. He stopped himself before falling completely, letting himself down softly. Keith felt himself breathe again when Lance let go of the silks and walked away.

The Omega dancer settled in beside Keith with his water bottle. “So how was it in motion?”

“I think I forgot how to breathe at the end. Might have warned me about that.”

Lance giggled. “Oh. Sorry about that. Well, now you know for when I get back up there. I want to run through it a couple more times before stopping. There were a few places that still felt stiff to me.”

The look Keith gave him was nothing short of incredulous. “Seriously?”

Putting his water bottle down, Lance tapped the sketchbook in his boyfriend’s lap. “I can’t see anything wrong with that, but you could tell me everything that’s wrong with it.”

Keith looked at the thumbnail sketches littered across the page. The one larger one Lance had pointed to was rough. Lines needed to be cleaned up or changed, positioning corrected. It was far from perfect, but it made him understand what Lance meant. “Ok,” he admitted, “That’s a fair point.”

Lance went back to the room’s sound system, setting up the music again. He ran through the routine again, going over the parts he felt needed attention, and now that Keith had a better idea of what he was looking at, he could almost see what Lance had meant by stiff. But the magic and elegance hadn’t faded into technicality, and he hoped it never would. Lance took another minute to breathe after that run before going back to it one more time. Keith continued with his thumbnails, marking the ones he wanted to expand on. Lance stretched a bit to cool down before sprawling across the floor beside Keith, letting him finish.

Allura leaned in from around the door frame. “We’ve decided to be lazy and order pizza for lunch. You in?”

Lance was leaning on his elbows, and dropped his head back to look at her. “Yes, please.”

After ordering lunch, a run to Balmera was made. Romelle insisted on going because her drink was so weird and she didn’t trust anyone else to order for her. They made it back just before the pizza did, and promptly took over the break room. After cleaning up and before leaving, Romelle put the leftovers in the fridge with a note.

_Touch this and I will find you._

_\- Mellie_

Romelle’s curly handwriting and the profusion of hearts she drew somehow only made the note more threatening. She then skipped off to the kids’ class she was teaching, leaving Keith to follow Lance and Allura into the practice room he had only ever seen from street level. He settled in where Lance had said he would be far out of the way. The aerial silks routine and this dance with Allura were part of a story about a girl and the fairy who draws her in. Lance and Allura were the leads in the story, and the dance they were rehearsing was the point where the girl gives in and allows the fairy to take her deeper into the forest. During the show, Lance’s aerial routine would be going on at the same time as Allura’s solo dance, where the girl first catches the fairy’s attention.

Both Lance and Allura were exhausted by the end of the day. Romelle was finished with her classes, and left with Allura. Lance handed his keys over to Keith, too tired to drive. After stopping by Lance’s apartment so he could shower and change, they went back to Keith’s, more than ready for a lazy night in. Lance snuggled up next to Keith on the sofa in his Keith-safe nest while the Alpha worked on the ideas Lance had given him that morning, using his thumbnails from throughout the day as reference. Eventually, he finished, treating it like any other design he worked on. It was cleaned up, colored, and ready for Lance’s approval.

“Hey, baby, it’s done,” Keith said, rubbing Lance’s arm.

Lance sat up quickly, looking over the open pad of Bristol board on Keith’s lap. It looked a lot like the line art sketch he’d walked into the week before. It was cleaner and more detailed. Less? It looked like there were fewer lines, but more detail? Visual art was lost on Lance. The main difference was what Lance had requested. The figure of the dancer – himself, he recalled – was gone, but the way the lines of the silks flowed implied that it was still there. The top of the silks faded into nothing, while the ends flared out, floating and in motion. The lines were shaded in dip-dyed hues of blue, from a greenish aqua at the top all the way down to deep indigo, everything else left uncolored. It was perfect.

Lance dropped his head onto Keith’s shoulder, trying, and failing, to quell the purr rising in his chest. “I just can’t with you,” he said, wrapping an arm around the Alpha, “It’s perfect. And so are you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, faeries, sprites, and spriggans, this thing has taken on a life of its own. Apparently, Lance's 23rd birthday has become its own miniseries. I don't even know anymore, I just live here. I go where the story wants, and this is where it's gone. The next chapter will absolutely have the party in it. Seriously. I think. Well, as long it's good, right? Stay safe, critters.
> 
> -Corvus


	6. Lance's 23rd Birthday

Lance’s birthday party was always the weekend before his birthday, almost always on Saturday, like it was that year. When Keith found that out, he made a few calls and rescheduled all of his appointments for the day, leaving that entire Saturday free. He checked his schedule for the next day and found that his one and only appointment for Sunday was long, but didn’t start until 1pm. That worked out more than fine. Shiro could definitely handle opening the studio on his own. He was confused, however, by the text he got the Monday before the party.

Keith was sitting out on his balcony, coffee beside him, sketchbook in his lap. It was his day away from Luxite, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t working. He’d had a few consults the previous week, and they were all looking for something unique or specific. And that meant a day with his sketchbook and notes. When he felt stuck on the new designs, he’d switch back to his personal Bristol pad and work on the pencil drawing he’d started of Lance after sitting in on his practice a week earlier. He felt that it was almost finished and would be ready in time for Lance’s actual birthday when Keith had promised him a soft night in. He was jarred from his thoughts by his phone buzzing on the wrought iron and heavy wood table. He didn’t recognize the number, but the message looked like it may have reached the intended destination.

 **?????:** I really hope this is the right number. Keith, right? anyway, this is Rachel, Lance’s sister. so, I just got a call from my mom, and she said that we’re going to have a few extra people on Saturday, and said something about a bakery with a weird name that Lance had mentioned. does any of this make sense?

Well, Keith could definitely see that rambling was a familial trait. He knew that Lance had a sister Rachel, and momentarily wondered where she could have gotten his number, but then remembered that Marisol had it. It also occurred to him that these extra people might be a surprise, otherwise she would have just texted Lance and not gone around him to his boyfriend.

 **Keith:** it is, and yes. the bakery is Scaultrite. depending on what you’re looking for, it might be best to call now to see if the girls can handle it in time. here’s their number to save you the trouble of looking it up xxx-xxx-xxxx

 **Rachel:** well, shit, looks like I did get the right number. thanks. you’re coming to the party right?

 **Keith:** pretty sure Lance would kill me if I missed it

 **Rachel:** lol, that’s my little brother. ooh, ooh. send me a pic so I know what to look for on Saturday

Keith sighed, knowing from what Lance had said that she would be like this. He sent Lance’s favorite picture of him; one that Lance himself had taken with Keith’s phone. It was one of Keith leaning against his bike and that Lance said made him look like a model.

 **Keith:** this is your brother’s favorite of me, btw

 **Rachel:** I call bullshit. I need some kinda proof you're real

Lance had also warned about that. Keith pulled up a selfie Lance had taken of the pair of them, sending that off to Rachel.

 **Keith:** proof enough?

 **Rachel:** holy shit, you are real

 **Keith:** lol. gotta get back to work. see you at the party. lemme know how it goes with Scaultrite. oh, just as a warning, Ezor’s a little . . .bouncy

 **Rachel:** oh, right. you work like a normal person or something. or, wait, Lance said you’re a tattoo artist, so not really normal. I'm gonna. . .just go. . .now. k bye

Keith erupted in laughter, startling Red, who was napping in his second bed that happened to be in the sun. He apologized to the growing kitten, who glared at him before stretching and going back to sleep. Keith added a few more details to the design he was working on then checked the time, running back inside and almost forgetting his coffee cup on the balcony table. Not that it was a major concern, but Keith had been given a week-long task by Marisol. His job that week was to keep Lance away from the house, and that included picking him up from practice.

Letting Keith take care of him for the week was pretty damn appealing anyway. Rehearsals for the show had intensified, there were last-minute costume fittings for any alterations that needed to be done, the rehearsals had been moved from Oriande to The Atlas, the theatre hosting the show, and apparently the director was about to lose his collective shit at the choreographer who. Wouldn’t. Stop. Touching. Things. And by things, Lance really meant the dancers and choreography. All of this left him exhausted, and letting his wonderful boyfriend take care of him during it sounded amazing.

Lance had left the keys to his car with Keith, since he didn’t think he’d have the energy to stay on the Alpha’s bike, which was fair. Keith had also left Lance’s nest that he’d built with a few light-weight blankets mixed into the sheets where it was on the sofa, ready and waiting for him. When Keith stepped inside The Atlas Theatre, he was first accosted by the put-out choreographer whose name he could never remember.

“I was _only_ trying to help them! I’m not doing this show for nothing, you know!” she announced with an overinflated sense of self-importance. She then actually noticed Keith for the first time as a real person. “And who are you? One of those stage crew? Well, _don’t_ get in my way. You people are nothing to those like me.”

“Well, first, without a stage crew, the show wouldn’t happen,” Keith responded, slightly confused and a little irritated, “And second, I’m here to pick up my boyfriend, who’s one of the dancers.”

“Oh? And which one of those idiots belongs to you?” Her voice dripped with disdain. She was a Beta, but sounded like she believed that she _should_ have been an Alpha.

He moved past her toward the house doors. “Lance McClain,” he shot over his shoulder, “And if I ever hear you refer to him or any of the dancers like that again I _will_ find your director.”

That apparently hadn’t deterred her as she was now following him. “Oh, that one. Sweet boy, talented. But he simply _cannot_ listen. But they will want the pretty ones for the leads.”

Keith stopped in the aisle. He’d interacted with her for maybe two minutes, and those were two minutes he’d never get back. “Ok, look. I don’t know what your issue is, but you need to leave me out of it. If I treated my clients like you’re treating literally everyone around you, I would never stay in business.” He pointed at the stage. “Those dancers have all worked their collective asses off for this show, and your diva attitude is not, and will never be, tolerable. You’re here for a reason. And that reason especially is not to harass people you don’t even know.” He turned and walked away, leaving her spluttering in the middle of the aisle.

The Alpha had been so busy being thoroughly annoyed with the choreographer that he didn’t notice that the show’s cast had all gathered on stage and had witnessed him blowing up at her. He also hadn’t noticed the director standing center stage front. Lance saw the entire thing, and ignored the steps at the side of the stage, opting to slide off the edge and to the floor. He rushed Keith, throwing his arms around his boyfriend’s neck.

“Holy shit, babe,” he laughed, “That was the best thing I’ve seen in forever.”

“She started in on me as soon as I came in. I can see why you don’t like her,” Keith answered, sliding his hands around Lance’s waist.

The director, who chose not to ignore the steps off the stage, joined them a moment later. “I’m not supposed to approve of that,” he said, his New Zealand accent as apparent as his large ginger moustache, “But I do. I may need to call the show’s producer and let them know about this. Now, Lance, you make sure you rest up. Can’t have one of my leads injuring themselves a week before curtain up.”

“Well, if it helps at all, she assumed I was stage crew after bitching about not being listened to, declared said stage crew to be ‘nothing to those like her’, told me not to get in her way, called all of the dancers idiots, insisted that Lance can’t listen, and that the only reason he’s here is because he’s pretty.”

Lance stared, open-mouthed, and the director looked almost amused. “All wonderful things to know,” he said, then left.

“Who was that?” Keith asked, watching the man walk past the now fuming Beta.

“Coran. He’s amazing, the director, and the only reason we haven’t walked off the show,” Lance answered, pulling the Alpha in for a kiss, flipping off the chorus of “awww” from the stage. “Y’all are just jealous,” he said to them, then turned back, “I gotta go grab my shit. Be back.”

Once Lance had taken off up the stairs and off stage, Allura came up to the edge of the stage. “Do you know what’s going on with the party on Saturday? Lance doesn’t seem to know as much about it as he usually does.”

Keith leaned on the edge of the pit. “Not really. But I got a surprise text from Rachel a little while ago. She said something about extra people and wanted to know about Scaultrite, the bakery near my place that we go to all the time now. If she’s texting me about it without Lance knowing, I’m guessing there’s some kind of surprise going along with it.”

Allura scrunched her nose in confusion. “That’s weird. I have no idea who it could be. Well, I suppose we’ll find out then. Marisol give you anything to do?”

“Yeah. I've been put on Lance-watching duty. She wants him away from the house this week. I'm just a little worried about the next few days. He’ll be stuck at Luxite waiting for me to finish. I know I won’t be done until about eight on Thursday. I just don’t want him to get bored.”

She thought for a minute before answering. “Oh! I can bring him back with me that day. He’s always up for a spa night with me and Melle. And then you can pick him up when you're done.”

“Thanks, Allura,” Keith said as Lance reappeared.

He looked between the two of them. “What are you two plotting?”

“I was just asking if Keith would be willing to let me have you for a spa night this week. Thursday, maybe?” she asked.

“I was telling her that I won’t be done until late that day and I don’t want you to get bored without me,” Keith explained.

Lance ran down the stage stairs, throwing himself at his boyfriend for the second time in ten minutes. “I still think you're hiding a body in the basement,” he said, arms wound around Keith’s neck.

“Well joke’s on you, then. I don’t have a basement.”

As it turned out, Keith didn’t need to worry about Lance nearly as much as he thought. When picking him up from the theatre on Tuesday, Lance had an extra bag with him. Somehow, over the course of nearly four months, the fact that Lance had learned knitting from Marisol and still did it had never come up. So for the next two days, Lance curled up in the waiting room of Luxite working on a lace wrap in impossibly thin yarn for his mother for Christmas. He got a couple odd looks from people, but he didn’t care. On Tuesday, they stopped by his apartment after Luxite closed for the night long enough for Lance to pack up for the rest of the week. He claimed it was solely because it was just easier that way, but he really just wanted more snuggle time with Keith. They both “knew what a kitchen was for” as Keith had put it, and traded off making dinner over the week. He had his spa night with Allura and Romelle on Thursday, and went back to Luxite on Friday. As odd as it was, Lance enjoyed the week he spent having an extended sleepover with Keith. He felt like it was definitely something he could get used to.

Keith woke up first on Saturday morning, finding Lance wrapped around him, still asleep. It was awkward, but he reached behind himself to grab his phone. Only 8:30. Realizing he _didn’t_ need to be up to open the studio, he set an alarm for an hour, and dropped his phone on the bed. Waking up next to Lance was one of his favorite things, and he drifted back to sleep, knowing he’d get to do it twice in one day.

9:30 came faster than Keith wanted, the alarm blaring beside him. Lance stirred, grumbling at the sound.

“What time is it?” he asked, his voice sleep-rough.

“Nine-thirty,” Keith said, his voice just as rough, “We need to get up. Your mom wants us there by one.”

Lance snuggled in, wrapping himself around his boyfriend tighter. “Don’ wanna. Wan’ snuggles.”

Keith laughed softly. “Somebody’s clingy this morning. All right, five minutes. But then breakfast.”

The Omega huffed. “Fine,” he agreed, then immediately started purring when Keith pulled him in, kissing the top of his head.

Keith made breakfast and took it out to the balcony, a spot in his apartment Lance particularly loved. He let Lance shower first, using the time to text Rachel.

 **Keith:** he’s up and showering, so we should be there on time. how’d it go with Scaultrite?

 **Rachel:** you, sir, are a miracle worker. on both fronts. Scaultrite is amazing. totally in love with it now. maybe not as much as Veronica

 **Keith:** ?

 **Rachel:** big sister Vero may or may not have a bit of a crush on one of the girls there

 **Keith:** lol, which one?

 **Rachel:** shit, don’t remember her name. kinda blue purple hair, Beta?

 **Keith:** that’s Acxa. she is single

 **Rachel:** oh I am so telling Vero that

 **Keith:** shit, Lance’s done in the shower. gtg see you at the party

He managed to get his screen off and the phone put down before Lance came out, dressed and ready to go. Keith ran through his own shower, coming back out in only a towel. Lance was stretched out on the bed, Red tucked up against him, scrolling through his phone. He looked up when Keith walked in.

“Ooh, I get a show before my party?” he asked playfully.

Keith just gave him a “seriously?” face, adding, “No, you don’t. And it’s not like it isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like seeing it.”

“Well aware,” the Alpha said, zipping up the tight black jeans Lance loved on him. He finished with one of the torso-skimming tank tops Lance also loved on him. He grabbed a hair tie from the loose stash in his bed table, slipping it onto his wrist. “Time?” he asked.

“Twelve. We don’t need to be there for another hour. I demand more cuddles,” Lance answered, patting the empty space beside him.

“You’re not due for your heat for a while, what’s up with this?” Keith asked, settling in and letting the Omega drape himself across his boyfriend.

“And? I also like nesting all the time, too. I also don’t hear you complaining.”

“Nope. And you won’t. Just wondering.”

They stayed there, Keith tracing patterns along Lance’s back, and Lance purring until they needed to leave to be to the party on time. They decided to take Keith’s bike as Lance figured his parents would find out about it sooner or later. They wouldn’t exactly be thrilled, but Lance had been riding around on it for nearly four months and he wasn’t dead yet. That was fine, Keith told him, his parents hadn’t exactly been happy about him getting it in the first place. When they pulled into Lance’s parents’ driveway, a girl Keith could only assume was Rachel was in the front yard, staring at them in shock. Rachel looked even more like Marisol than Lance did, except for having their father’s dark hazel eyes. Her shock only increased when she saw her brother hop off the back of Keith’s bike with well-practiced ease.

She half-stalked half-ran up to the pair. “Ok, first, Mamá and Papá are _not_ going to be happy about that.”

“Ok, and?” Lance asked. “Kinda knew that already.”

“Second, I still wasn’t entirely convinced you were real.” She pointed at Keith.

“What kind of proof did you need?” he asked.

She ignored the question, not wanting to spill that they’d been texting. “And third,” she turned to her brother, “You need to go to the backyard.”

Lance tilted his head, confused. “Why? What’s in the backyard?”

“I can’t tell you. Just trust me.”

“The last time you said that, I ended up in a cast, but ok. Keith, you're protecting me from whatever the fuck she’s done.”

Keith just laughed, fully aware of what assholes siblings could be, but followed Lance around the side of the house to the back. He nearly ran into the Omega when he stopped suddenly, staring at the person in the backyard in shock. He was easily Keith’s height, but heavier. His skin was warmer and darker than Lance’s, and he had jet-black hair like Keith, tattoos littering his arms, the outside of a traditional – Samoan, Keith noted – tattoo visible around his olive green-bordered yellow, loose fitting tank top, and black plugs in his gauged piercings.

“HUNK?!?!” Lance screeched, running forward.

Hunk wrapped Lance in a bear hug, lifting the Omega off the ground before putting him down, laughing the entire time.

“When did you get back? I thought you’d moved for good!”

Hunk scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I did. But then I was missing Altea. It’s home, y’know? I just got in a day ago. I knew your party would be this weekend, so I wanted to surprise you. I’m back here for good now.”

“Holyshitholyshitholyshit! Oh, fuck,” he turned around, finding Keith watching the scene maybe a little embarrassed, but with fondness for his boyfriend, “Hey, babe, c’mere. I _need_ you two to meet.”

Keith made his way across the yard, slipping an arm around Lance’s waist not out of possessiveness, but out of an instinctual need to be close to the Omega.

“Believe it or not, Hunk, but this is my boyfriend Keith. And, baby, this is Hunk, my best friend since we were what, five? Not that Allura’s not still my bestie, she totally is, since, like forever, but Hunk’s been around longer.”

“Yeah, about that,” Hunk confirmed, “Hey, man,” he said, turning to Keith and extending a hand.

Keith took it, better noticing the tattoos attached to it, and the fact that Lance’s childhood friend was an Alpha. “Nice ink. Had it long?”

“Yeah, years. This was my first one, though,” Hunk answered, indicating his traditional tattoo, “You have any?”

“Just the one.” Keith turned around showing off the part of his wings visible from under his tank top. “But it’s also my day job. I’m a tattoo artist.”

“Oh, nice. You don’t happen to know if any studios in the area need a piercing artist?”

Keith smirked a bit. “I might be. It’s just me and my brother and we’re constantly slammed. I’m sure he’d appreciate it. You free Tuesday?”

“Yeah, totally. What’s your studio’s name?”

“Luxite.”

“It’s right across the street from Oriande,” Lance said, “There’s a great coffee shop on the corner. Oh. My. God. Please tell me you’re not seeing anyone, Hunk.”

“I’m not,” he said, laughing, “Why?”

“You have got to meet Shay. She’s fucking adorable. Babe, tell me you can see it.”

Keith tilted his head slightly, thinking about it. “Yeah, I can see it. She’s really sweet. Her brother can be kind of an ass, though.”

Angel came out from the back door on the deck and over to the grill. He saw the three of them standing there talking and chose his victim. “Keith,” he called, “Come give me a hand over here?”

“Yeah, sure,” he called back, pulling Lance in for a kiss then leaving him and Hunk. He was met by Rachel coming around the grill.

“Can you grab the charcoal from the shed?” Angel asked.

Keith nodded, Rachel following him.

“Ok, but seriously,” she said, “I did kinda wonder if Lance had made you up.”

Keith laughed, picking up the large nearly full bag easily. “He didn’t. But my parents basically had the same reaction.”

“He doesn’t shut up about you, y’know. Nothing important, but he literally hasn’t stopped since you guys started dating.”

He set the bag down beside the grill, Angel taking over and ignoring his daughter questioning Keith. “I’m not going far, let me know if you need anything else,” he said to Lance’s father, although he could feel Rachel staring at him. “So what defines important?”

“He just goes on about how much of an amazing Alpha you are, and shit about your relationship that, no offense, I don’t care about. I mean, I guess that’s important cuz he’s my little brother and if you hurt him I’d bury you, but other than that, nothing really important.”

“Still didn’t answer my question,” Keith said, crossing his arms, “I have a kitten I rescued from behind my studio. That important?”

“You do? Also, what studio?” Rachel dragged him over to the deck, sitting at the table.

The Alpha sat near her. “I do. He and the rest of his litter were out in a box in the alley behind my studio. I brought them all to the closest animal shelter, but I adopted him immediately. His name is Red and he looks like he rolled around in cinnamon. He’s really sweet and affectionate and purrs like a motorboat.” _Y’know, like your brother does,_ he thought, but was careful not to say out loud. “And my studio is Luxite Tattoo and Piercing Studio. It’s directly across the street from Oriande. I run it with my brother Shiro.”

“You’re really a tattoo artist?” she asked, her sweet strawberries and cream scent marked with surprise and a little excitement.

“I am. I’m also Japanese and born and raised in Little Tokyo.”

Marisol came out, her hands full of last-minute decorations. “Rachel, stop interrogating him and come help me. She hasn’t been bothering you, has she, Keith?”

“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t mind,” he said lightly.

With Rachel dragged off to help her mother, Keith made his way back down to where Lance and Hunk were catching up. This was turning out to be a better day than he’d thought. Lance got to reconnect with his best friend, and Keith found a new piercing artist for Luxite. Rachel was nosy, but there was no malice in her questions, just curiosity about her younger brother’s boyfriend. He still had to meet the rest of Lance’s siblings, and then the untold number of relatives who would be showing up, but if this was as bad as it got, he’d be fine.

Lance wrapped the Alpha’s arms around himself, never stopping his conversation with Hunk. Turned out that Hunk would be going back to where he’d moved so he could finish packing up and officially move to Altea, but that would only be a couple days, and then he’d be moved back with his parents until he found his own place. The three of them stood there talking until Keith felt a small body make contact with the back of his legs. Lance whipped around, still in his boyfriend’s arms, and found his six-year-old niece staring at him.

“Tío!” she squealed when he picked her up.

It made Keith want to know what Lance would look like with their own pups someday.

“Thanks, Lance.” He very closely resembled the linebacker version of Angel. He was also a Beta, and Keith knew that it had to be Lance’s brother Luís. This was quickly confirmed when he saw Keith. “Oh, uh, sorry about her. Nadia can get a little excited. You must be Keith. Luís,” he said, extending a hand that Keith took. The Alpha had a feeling there would be a lot of that before the day was over.

“I am. Don’t worry about her, she’s fine. I’ve had much worse.” He flicked a glance in Lance’s direction, momentarily stopping when he saw the Omega playing with his niece, overhearing part of their conversation.

“Oh! Tío Lance! Mami and Papi said that if we’re good, me and Sylvio can come see you on Sunday!” Nadia said, gesturing wildly in Lance’s arms.

“Oh really?” he asked in an exaggerated tone, “You two better behave then.”

“Yeah, my baby brother can be a bit much sometimes. That your bike out front?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Eh, maybe, but it’s part of who he is and I wouldn’t want him to change,” Keith answered, watching Lance and Nadia, and then a little boy maybe a year or two older than Nadia when he joined them. He snapped back to Luís. “Uh, yeah, it is.” Keith realized that Luís was eyeing him with approval, no doubt in reaction to what he said about Lance.

A woman came up beside Luís. Keith noticed her wedding band and that she was also a Beta. She introduced herself as Lisa, Luís’ wife and Nadia and Sylvio’s mother. Not long after, another of Lance’s family arrived. By then, the pups had been corralled and were being entertained by Rachel. The newest arrival was tall and thin like the rest of the family except for Luís, with their mother’s blue eyes and a mop of frizzy waves. Lance charged him.

“Marco!” the Omega yelled from across the yard.

“Hey, kid!” he called in return.

“Not anymore, asshole. This is my twenty-third birthday party, in case you forgot.”

Marco laughed. “Yeah, sure. But you’re still the baby. Even if you do have a boyfriend now.”

Keith came up at that, repeating the introduction process yet again. The only difference being that Marco was an Alpha. Lance’s other brother held on a second longer, nostrils flaring ever so slightly as he picked up Keith’s scent. Keith did the same, noting the woody warm vanilla scent. Marco was satisfied with what he found and let go, cracking a smile.

“So this is the mystery boyfriend?” he asked Lance. “I like him.”

Lance just rolled his eyes. Alphas.

Marco got himself recruited by Angel to help out with the grill, giving the Beta a break to play with his grandpups. Marisol continued flitting about, putting up decorations with Rachel. Luís and Lisa sat at the table on the deck, taking their own break from their pups. Finally, the last of the McClain siblings arrived. Veronica – an Alpha, Keith remembered Lance telling him – was like the rest of her siblings, tall and thin. She kept her dark, thick waves at chin length, wire-rimmed rectangular glasses framing her blue eyes. Veronica eyed Keith critically from a distance before walking up.

“I’m taking him for a walk,” she told Lance before dragging Keith away toward the front of the house where it was quieter. “So,” she started once they were out of earshot of anyone else, “How’d you two meet? Lance said it was slightly unorthodox.”

Keith was stunned for a second. He was expecting more of an interrogation. “At the coffee shop by my studio and Oriande. We kept crossing paths for about three weeks before Lance came up to me. It is a little non-traditional, an Omega making the first move, but my Omega mom basically did the same thing with my dad.”

“Ok, fair. The other thing I’ve been wanting to know is how the hell did you find Scaultrite? That place is amazing.”

“Oh, well, it’s only three blocks away from my apartment. The girls know us by name now.” Keith picked up on Veronica’s change in her earthy floral scent.

“Yeah. They seem pretty chill,” she said, avoiding the obvious.

Keith laughed. “You clearly didn’t meet Ezor that day. Girl bounces off the walls. Pretty sure Zethrid’s the only one who can contain her.”

“I don’t know. There was a girl with indigo hair there, and a butch Alpha who looked like she could break me in half, and a perky Omega with pink hair. I was just helping Rachel pick up the cupcakes.”

Her voice was relaxed, but Keith noticed the spike in her scent when she described Acxa. “Ok,” he said, “So you did meet Ezor. Pink hair. She’s usually pretty energetic. The amazon was Zethrid – also Ezor’s girlfriend, and the Beta was Acxa. She’s loosened up a lot since they first opened. I like her. She’s smart, and doesn’t put up with bullshit. I've seen her throw people out for being obnoxious.”

“Yeah, she seems like the type who would.” Her scent rose again, freesia and gardenia coming to the front. “So, I feel like if no one’s given you the older sibling speech yet, it should probably be me.”

“Well, Rachel did tell me that if I hurt him she’d bury me,” Keith said, attempting to suppress a laugh, “And Marco sniffed me out, but I think I passed that one.”

Veronica shifted, crossing her arms and putting on a face that made a mockery of aggression. “Rachel’s statement stands.” She dropped the over-the-top posturing, catching sight of Lance playing with Sylvio and Nadia again, her face softening. “He wants pups, y’know. Not now, but someday.”

“Good thing I do too. It’s not really something we’ve talked about yet, but I’ve told him that we go at his pace. He calls those shots, not me. He told me that he doesn’t have the best history with Alphas, and that’s particularly why I don’t want to do anything that might upset him. I’ll totally admit to spoiling him, but he deserves it. What he doesn’t deserve is to be treated like a sex toy or some porcelain doll.”

Veronica didn’t answer. Looking like she was fighting tears, she rushed forward, pulling Keith into a tight hug. “I was prepared to give you the don’t-be-an-asshole-Alpha-my-baby-brother-deserves-better speech, but I don’t have to. Take care of him,” she said softly, he tears threatening to spill over.

“I’ve already fought for him, and I’ll do it again. I lost a client over what that asshole did, and I don’t regret any of it. I’ll do it over and over as long as he’s safe,” Keith replied just as softly, returning the hug.

Veronica was first to pull away, wiping the tears that escaped. “Fuck you,” she laughed through her tears, “I was all ready to be the Alpha bitch big sister and you have to go and be like that. But now I want to know what happened.”

Keith chuckled at that. “Lance picked up lunch one day when we were both really busy. He left just as my next appointment showed up. Asshole made a comment about Lance being cute, but, well, you know how some Alphas are. He meant a little more than that. I stared him down, and he backed off, but after our session he got aggressive again. I kicked him out and he screamed at me, but well, his loss really. But his posturing pissed me off. I don’t know what Lance has told you, but I run my studio with my brother. He made me step outside to calm down, which I really couldn’t, and Lance was there in the front practice room with Allura. I still couldn’t really calm down, so I rushed over there. He calmed me down when I couldn’t do it on my own. The only part I regret at all is letting myself get so angry over it, but not getting into it with another Alpha. Lance is worth so much more than being some asshole Alpha’s fuck toy. It was actually that night that I told him that we would take things at his pace.”

“Yeah, Lance is right. You have to be hiding a body in the basement.”

They returned to the backyard, Keith stealing Lance away from the pups. He needed some snuggle time after telling Veronica about that afternoon. It was cut shorter than Keith would have liked by Allura and Romelle arriving. 4pm was the official start time, and that was when various relatives began pouring in. First were Marisol’s parents, her Alpha mother entirely approving of Keith. Angel’s parents were there not long after, Keith winning over the Alpha-Beta mate-pair. And then the floodgates opened, more aunts, uncles, and cousins appearing than Keith could keep track of.

Folding tables and chairs had been set up, mostly by Luís and Marco. Lance, Keith, Hunk, Allura, and Romelle had claimed one for themselves, the empty chair eventually taken up by Veronica. They sat and talked, the two couples at the table pushing their chairs together for awkward cuddling. The six of them ended up closing the party around midnight. Everyone else had filtered out over the night, ending with Rachel wandering up to her room around 11:30. Hunk, Allura, and Romelle left at 12, and Lance, Keith, and Veronica went through the back door, finding Marisol and Angel at the kitchen table. Veronica said goodbye to her parents, leaving Keith and Lance alone with them. Angel wrapped Lance in a hug, talking quietly with his youngest child.

Marisol pulled Keith into a maternal hug, already treating him like family. When she stepped back, she had a perplexed look. “That note in your scent, it’s so familiar, but I can’t place it. I’m sorry, I know how personal a question that is.”

The corner of Keith’s lips curled as he breathed a laugh. “No, it’s ok. My mother always said it reminded her of Kyara-based Kansho incense. She said I was born smelling like home.”

“Oh! That’s why I know it! I went to Japan, oh, years ago, before Luís was born. One of my stops was experiencing a Buddhist temple. Going back has been on my list for a while, but only once all the kids are gone. Rachel still hasn’t moved out. But you still have work tomorrow, don’t you?”

The Alpha nodded. “Yeah, I do, but not until the afternoon. Shiro’s opening the studio in the morning. But we should still head out.”

Marisol pulled him in for another hug. “You’re family now, you know. I have never seen Lance this genuinely happy before. Go get yourselves to bed.”

Keith pulled back, startled at the last part.

The Omega laughed. “Don’t think I don’t know Lance doesn’t always go back to his own apartment. I know he doesn’t. But I also know that you care about him too much to let anything happen before you're both ready for it.”

Keith felt Lance’s arms around his waist from behind. “You ready to get going?”

“Mm,” the Alpha hummed, “Red’s gonna be pissed. Watch your toes.” That, apparently, was what the kitten had decided was an appropriate reaction to being upset, biting toes.

Lance just snorted.

When they got back to Keith's apartment, he pulled Lance in close, nuzzling the Omega’s neck and scent gland. “You have a good party?”

Lance disentangled himself, taking his boyfriend’s hands. “Best one yet. Almost,” he said, leading the way to the bedroom.

The next Tuesday, which also happened to be Lance’s actual birthday, Hunk was at Luxite, shadowing Shiro and getting a feel for how the studio was run. Not letting the opportunity pass, Lance escaped from The Atlas when Keith texted him that they would be going on their coffee run soon. He showed up at Luxite bouncing.

“Ok, I managed to convince Coran to let us have a break, but I only have like, twenty minutes before I have to head back. So we gotta go now.”

Keith was seeing a client out the door, laughing at the Omega’s excitement. Hunk was confused, not quite understanding what was happening. Keith had let Shiro in on what he and Lance were planning – setting Hunk up with Shay. Lance was convinced they’d be perfect together, and even though Keith didn’t know Hunk anywhere near as well as Lance did, he really couldn’t argue. Shiro stayed behind at Luxite, his order not changing – iced matcha and strawberry shortbread. That left Keith, Lance, and Hunk. The late July walk to Balmera was short, but hot, and they were glad to get into the air conditioning. The pair of boyfriends quickly herded Hunk to the back of the line, not wanting to ruin the first meeting.

“Oh. Holy shit,” Lance whispered to Keith while they waited, “I just realized that we met here, and now we’re introducing Hunk and Shay here.”

“Huh,” the Alpha responded, although it came out as more of a laugh, “Well, they’d better work out then.”

Hunk was focused on the menu, and Lance had to nudge him when it was their turn. Shay was right there, happy to see her sort-of friends, and then almost immediately distracted by the third member of their party. Both Lance and Keith noticed the slight widening of her hazel gold eyes when she saw Hunk. They also noticed the change in Hunk’s tropically woody scent when he saw Shay.

“Um, hi,” Shay said first.

Hunk.exe had stopped functioning. Lance took over for his best friend. “Shay, this is my best friend Hunk. He’s moving back here.”

“And will be joining us at Luxite,” Keith added.

Shay recovered quickly after hearing those three things. “Hunk, huh? Well, if you’re Lance’s best friend and going to be at Luxite, I hope that means I’ll get to see more of you around here.”

“I – yeah. Um, it’s – it’s Hakumele, actually. Even though it’s Hawaiian and we’re not. My family, that is. We’re Samoan. Yeah – yeah, I’ll be around. I have to go back to finish packing, but then I’ll be back here. I – I um, would – I mean, you don’t have to, but would you maybe – like to go out with me sometime?”

Shay’s sweet smile grew brighter. “I’d love to.”

Hunk.exe finally came back online, and Shay took their order and Hunk’s number, scribbling hers on the back of a discarded receipt. Lance kept Keith’s arms around him as they waited, but Hunk couldn’t take his eyes off Shay, the Omega’s smile brightening every time she looked up and saw him watching her. It wasn’t until after they crossed the street and were heading back to Luxite that Hunk finally found his voice again.

“I can’t believe you guys lied to me,” he said.

“What?” Lance asked.

“You both said she’s cute. She’s beautiful.”

Lance laughed. “To you. She’s an Omega, dude.”

“And I’m gay,” Keith added.

“I guess that’s a good enough reason for your skewed opinions.”

Keith snickered. “Oh, and don’t bother trying to get Shiro to back you up. He’s gay too.”

When they got back to Luxite, Lance refused to go back to rehearsal without a kiss, cornering his Alpha boyfriend until he got what he wanted.

“Behave,” Keith warned.

Lance scoffed. “It’s like you don’t even know me,” he leaned in close, “I’ll show you how well I behave later.”

The Alpha raised an eyebrow, silently calling out his bullshit. Lance just laughed, twirling out of the tattoo studio.

Keith finished at the studio earlier than expected and headed directly home. He had promised Lance a quiet night in (although he wasn’t sure it was going to stay quiet with what Lance had not so subtly hinted earlier), and comfort food was part of that. A bottle of the Omega’s favorite white wine was in the fridge, and Keith pulled out Krolia’s secret mac & cheese recipe. She had let Keith in on her recipe since he was the one of her two children who could actually cook – no one really spoke of the time Shiro managed to set the oven on fire. He was just about ready to slide it in the oven when Lance arrived.

“Oh. What is _that_?” he asked, watching from the other side of the tiny island, Red in his arms.

“My mom’s secret mac and cheese. I'm the only other one who knows it. There’s also a bottle of your favorite white in the fridge, and the sofa is ready and waiting for your nest. And I may or may not have gone to Scaultrite when I left for lunch.”

Red was deposited in his bed and Lance launched himself at his boyfriend. “Holy fuck I love you.”

Keith caught him, stealing a surprise kiss in the process. “Best birthday ever?”

“It will be before the end of the night,” Lance predicted, wrapping his arms around Keith’s neck for another kiss.

“Well, there is one more thing,” the Alpha said, pulling his boyfriend’s arms off his shoulders.

Lance just stood confused while Keith went to the table where there was a wrapped box. Keith placed it gently on the island, nudging it toward the Omega.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

Lance carefully unwrapped the box and pulled the top off. He gasped, shaky hands taking the framed pencil drawing out. It was a portrait, but one done from one of Keith’s thumbnails when he’d sat in on Lance’s practice. The style was different from what he used for his tattoo designs. It was more realistic, careful attention paid to the lines and curves of his body. Lance thought he was cute, but this made him look ethereally beautiful. He almost couldn’t believe his own boyfriend had done this, but he knew he did. The Omega laid the framed drawing down gently, running around the island and into Keith’s arms.

“Now it’s really the best birthday ever,” he said, blue eyes shining with tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! It's finally here, my critters! It's a little longer than previous chapters, but Hunk and Shay are actual cinnamon rolls made of sunshine and they needed to happen. Can anyone guess what the next chapter will be? It'll be fun, promise. Until the next time!
> 
> -Corvus


	7. Show Time & a New Tattoo

For Lance, the week before a show was always nerve-wracking until opening night, when an oddly surreal serenity would wrap around him. Once, his anxiety fueled week consisted of him furiously knitting every night, starting and finishing an entire blanket he’d promised Rachel. So having Keith beside him during that week as he curled up in his sofa nest and ranted at reality shows was a new experience. His birthday had fallen during that week, and it was the only night he forced himself to relax – to a point. But right then, Thursday night, one day before opening night, as Lance was in his nest, his favorite hopeless straight Alpha makeover show on, Keith beside him with his ever-present sketchbook, he felt the tension uncoil.

Lance rolled his eyes dramatically at the dumpster fire that was the subject of that episode’s makeover. “God am I glad you’re not one of those disaster Alphas.”

Keith snorted. “Don’t think I’m straight enough for them to be interested,” he said, then realized what he said, adding, “Not in that way anyway. For the makeover thing. You know what I mean.”

The Omega cracked up laughing. “Oh, they’d be interested alright. I’ve seen how many Betas and Omegas watch you go by when we’re out. A few Alphas too.” He sat up and snuggled in closer, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend. “Mine. They can’t have you. My Alpha.”

Lance realized what he had said the instant it left his mouth. But so did Keith. They were fully aware of how they both felt, especially after the incident with the other Alpha and Lance’s purring, but it had never been said out loud. Keith had promised that they would go at Lance’s pace, never doing anything the Omega was uncomfortable with. Lance had been almost afraid, not of Keith, certainly not, but of saying it because that would make it more real. But he had said it, and there was no going back now.

Lance immediately realized that he’d needed to say it, and Keith realized that he’d needed to hear it. Both show and sketchbook were abandoned in favor of the Alpha lowering his Omega to the sofa. Keith’s scent rose, Lance purring in response. Their kiss was instinctive and mutually initiated, slow and passionate. Lance’s fingers wove through his boyfriend’s thick, ink-dark silk, sliding the hair tie off and around his own wrist. They broke apart to catch their breath. Blue searched indigo. Liquid bronze hands held ivory skin.

“My Alpha,” Lance whispered. He reached down and found the remote, turning the still-running show off.

Recapturing the Omega’s lips, Keith picked him up in a bridal carry, taking them both to the bedroom.

It was Friday. Shit, it was Friday. The last day of rehearsals and opening night. Lance rushed around Keith’s apartment, getting himself put together. He kept insisting that he didn’t have time, but Keith insisted on him having breakfast. Once the Alpha handed him a steaming cup of tea – Keith had taken to keeping a stash of his boyfriend’s favorite – Lance calmed down, the bright scent of English breakfast tea familiar and comforting. It gave Keith time to finish and settle onto the other barstool at the island nominally separating kitchen from dining room. The pair leaned on each other as they worked their way through breakfast.

The night before had marked another shift in their ever-developing relationship. Other Alpha-Omega pairs might take that as a mating promise, but not them. They both still wanted to take things slowly, and fully enjoy every stage of their relationship. Things between them had changed again, and they were going to let it take its time to develop further. Keith hadn’t been in any particular rush to be mated, and after that first date with Lance, he decided to take things as slowly as Lance wanted. His sweet, beautiful Omega boyfriend wanted to wait, so they were waiting. Keith would wait as long as it took for Lance to be ready.

Keith dropped Lance off at The Atlas Theatre before heading to Luxite for the day. It had been decided that the Alpha would drop him off that morning since he would be at the show that night anyway, and that way Lance didn’t have to try to navigate morning traffic while being wound up about the final rehearsal. Angel and Marisol would be there, as would Shiro. Keith was stunned when Shiro said that he would be bringing a date with him. His brother didn’t date much, so this was an occasion.

Backstage at The Atlas was pure chaos. Costumes were finished and given to the appropriate cast member, sets were staged, and the cast ran through one final rehearsal of Aisling and the Faerie Prince. Lance’s silks were the only functional ones on set, the others hung freely in shades of browns and greens to make up the forest and to allow the cast members playing other faeries to be able to flow around them, adding to the ethereal effect. Once the final run through was finished, Coran called a break. He then called his leads, Lance and Allura, over for a few last-minute directions.

“Alright,” Coran said, “That was just about perfect. Lance, when Aisling goes to run away the first time, make sure to be a little more upstage so you can get around her more easily, and don’t forget the height on the lift during the climax, we really want Allura to look like she’s flying.” He turned to Allura next. “When the faeries are closing in and surrounding you, try not to keep your spin as tight. Aisling is meant to be panicked. Let that show. Same thing at the end after Aisling remembers being a faerie and coming back to it. Keep it more playful and open. And both of you. Whatever you do, don’t listen to a word that old bat says.”

Lance and Allura both snickered at that. Coran had spoken with the show’s producer about the choreographer, and they had not been amused, but it was too late to fire her, so she was still there. Only no one was listening to her changes anymore. Coran had also told Lance and Allura privately that she wasn’t going to be on any future shows with them. She continued to show up at the theatre and try to throw her weight around, but gave up after the first day and just sat about ten rows back, pouting.

Lance waited until the last possible minute to change, wanting to see Keith before the show. He lit up when he spotted his boyfriend standing with his parents. The Alpha had traded the tank tops he wore to Luxite in the summer for a silky black button-down over his eternally black jeans. Lance darted up behind him, knowing he only had a few seconds before someone would be sent to retrieve him for makeup and changing into his costume.

“Fuck, you look good,” he said quietly.

Keith started, turning around. “What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

Lance slipped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. “I should, but I didn’t want to go on without seeing you,” he answered, stealing a kiss.

The Alpha wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “One for good luck, huh?” he asked, returning the favor.

“Yeah, but now we have to do it again. One or three or it’s just wrong.” Lance pulled him in again with another kiss. “My Alpha,” he said quietly when he pulled away. He was about to go in for a fourth time when one of the girls came stomping up behind him, pulling his arm away to drag him backstage.

“So _that’s_ where the fuck you went. Both Coran and Allura are going to kill you,” she said as she dragged him off.

Keith had met her before at Oriande. He had found out not long after that Summer was Nyma’s cousin, and suddenly the sheer amount of sass made sense. He turned back around when he caught a pronounced whiff of Shiro’s scent, and was that Veronica’s? Sure enough, there was his brother, dressed in the black and charcoal pinstripe button-down Keith had dug out of the back of Shiro’s closet. He was guessing that the scent enhancer was meant for the benefit of the Omega beside him. Shiro had been oddly quiet about this one. He had the slightly more delicate features most male Omegas had, but then, the same could be said for Keith, and he was definitely an Alpha. Both brothers shared a physical type when it came to their boyfriends, tending to favor tall, slender, and pretty. This Omega certainly hit all of those marks, although Keith found that he couldn’t help but compare this Omega to Lance. Shiro’s date had a darker, sun-kissed complexion, but the tone was cooler than Lance’s warm honey-bronze. He was also dark blond, but it just couldn’t hold his attention like Lance’s brunet, and he would bet it didn’t curl at the ends like his Omega’s did when it was humid or wet. Keith was shaken from his unintentional analysis by Shiro coming up with his Omega date.

“You made it,” Keith noted, teasing his older brother after Shiro’s panicking about picking up his date made them late to close Luxite.

“Yeah I did, smartass,” Shiro retorted, “I even remembered how to get here.” He turned to the Omega beside him. “I am sorry for my idiot brother. Adam, this is Keith. Keith, behave.”

“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here right now,” the younger Alpha pointed out, then turned to Adam, “Contrary to what my brother says, I do know how to behave myself.”

“Oh, that’s right, Takashi said that your boyfriend is in the show. But he didn’t tell me what role he’s dancing.”

Keith’s small smile was fond and self-satisfied at once. “He’s the titular Faerie Prince. His best friend Allura King is opposite him as Aisling. Oh shit. Shiro, come here. Excuse us for a minute, Adam.”

“Where are we going?” Shiro asked.

Keith led them, with Adam following, over to where Angel and Marisol were talking to Veronica. _I was right,_ Keith thought. He was surprised to see that she wasn’t alone. She had come with her own date, who was none other than Acxa. The Beta looked like she felt out of place at a theatre, and stood close to Veronica, but was relaxed in talking with Veronica’s parents. Marisol spotted them first, welcoming them over.

“Hi,” he said, fully accepting her hug, “My brother’s here; I wanted to introduce you. Shiro, this is Marisol, Lance’s mother. Marisol, my older brother Shiro.”

“You'll be calling me Mom soon enough. Lisa does,” she said, leaning in.

Keith chuckled. “Well aware. On both counts. I’ll let you two get to know each other, you don’t need me for that.” He left Shiro and Marisol, making his way around to Acxa. “You look like you feel out of place,” he said when he came up beside her.

“I really do. Theatre’s just not really my thing. But Lance is in it, and I want to see that.”

His scent may have instantly called bullshit, but Acxa was a Beta, and not nearly as sensitive to Alpha and Omega pheromones.

“Ok, fine,” she admitted, “I do want to see Lance in this, but it’s more because Veronica asked me out. I didn’t think I liked Alphas, but she’s different.”

“And Lance isn’t a typical Omega. He talked to me first. I’ve met basically his entire family at this point. They’re all really good people. They’re expressive, and inclusive, and so full of life and love that you can’t help but love them. If you’re at all worried about Veronica somehow becoming some typical asshole Alpha, don’t. She won’t.” He nudged her. “Also, you’re welcome. I’ve basically been playing wingman for you for like a week now. Rachel told me Vero had a bit of a crush on you, so I may have talked you up a bit.”

Acxa snapped to face him. “You did?”

Keith smirked. “Yeah, why not? I think we’ve gotten to know each other a bit over the last few months, and even without having met Vero directly yet – until the party, anyway – I know Lance, and I know his parents. Now, I believe,” he checked the time, “It’s just about curtain up. We better find our seats.”

All seven of them filed inside, finding their fifth-row center seats. Lance had made sure Keith would be right in the middle so he wouldn’t miss anything. Keith had told him that he could be in the worst seats in the house and he still wouldn’t miss anything. He ended up with Veronica on one side of him and Shiro on the other. Just before the show started, Keith got everyone’s attention.

“Just as a warning – and the only reason I know this is because I went to one of his rehearsals – the end of Lance’s aerial routine is a little heart attack-inducing.”

Everyone agreed it was good to know except Veronica, who snorted. “Yeah, that’s my drama queen little brother all right.”

House lights went down. Curtain went up. Music started. Soft and melodic, but something light and playful about it. The stage lights came on, the set an ethereal forest. Some of the trees appeared more or less realistic, but most of them were hanging silks, dancers moving around and through them as faeries in their playground. Their hair, makeup, and costumes all shimmered softly, shades of green dominant in their outfits. Keith spotted Lance among them, weaving through and around the other dancers like they were with the trees, but never coming to the front.

His hair was soft and wild, and Keith could see the glitter in it. He knew he’d be finding it all over his apartment for months, but he didn’t mind at all. He had trouble finding where some parts of Lance’s costume began and ended. It was very form-fitting, but he supposed that made sense. He also knew that there would be a couple costume changes for Lance, but the one he was in then was a soft, rich green. Keith could see that his – tights? leggings? – came to mid-calf, but it was the top half that made less sense. It fluttered and moved in places it looked like it shouldn’t, but clung to his lithe form everywhere else, and its half-sleeves were slashed vertically, showing off slivers of bronze when he moved.

Gradually, Lance came to the front of the stage starting when Allura came in from the side. She danced on her own, cautious but playful, seemingly unaware of the faeries frolicking around her. They passed by each other several times, never facing one another, always just missing the other. They both left the stage, but on opposite ends. Two other dancers emerged from the trees, one silver and one gold – the gold faerie was Romelle, Keith noticed. They played a carefully orchestrated game of tag, the lights shifting gradually between blues and silvers to golds and greens. Eventually, the silver dancer chased the gold dancer off the stage, the lights settling and bathing the scene in blue and silver light. The faeries re-emerged, a girl dressed similar to Allura in their center (Summer, Keith realized). The faeries played, but the lone girl was softer, sadness and loss evident in her dance. Lance came back out, joining the faerie girl. Their dance continued even as the other faeries left the stage and the lights went down.

When the lights came back up moments later, Lance was alone, wandering among the trees until he got to the front. Keith noticed the costume change and knew his aerial routine was coming. It was the very next thing Lance did. When he got to his silks in the center of the stage, he looped through them a few times before beginning his ascent. Even though Keith knew what to expect, seeing it on stage was entirely different. It was even more ethereal than in practice. He watched Lance in the silks, barely noticing Allura coming back. She passed in front of him, and that’s when Keith knew the heart-stopping part was, but he was still unprepared for it. He watched Lance wrap himself up over and over, holding himself parallel to the floor and then letting go, spinning quickly downward before stopping and letting himself down.

His goal was Allura. She spun, finally noticing him for the first time, her movements becoming sharper, fearful. He chased her around the stage in dance before she got away, Lance close behind her. The silver faerie returned, the lights shifting again. The gold faerie ran out, but the silver one did a double take, put her hands on her hips and waved the gold faerie away, who pouted, put her head down, and left the way she’d come. The silver faerie twirled in place, welcoming the shifting colors before disappearing behind the trees and off stage out of view of the audience.

The stage lights went down, house lights coming up for intermission. All seven of them stayed in their seats, waiting for everyone else to file out.

“Ok, yeah, I see what you meant about the heart attack part,” Veronica admitted.

“Yeah, I watched him practice that. A few times. So I knew it was coming, but still,” Keith said.

“I think I could probably get used to dance shows,” Acxa said.

Veronica snorted in trying to contain her laughter.

Once the theatre was cleared of everyone stepping out for intermission, the seven of them stood, stretching out before continuing with the show, talking about what they’d seen so far, and everyone’s performances. They retook their seats, and the house lights went down, the stage lights returning to the blues and silvers of before.

Lance returned, outfit changed back to the first one, leading Summer back out. He replayed his encounter with Allura, Summer joining him and their dance turned playful and celebratory. Other faeries came out from the trees, joining the play. The gold and silver faeries came back, gold chasing silver off this time, colors shifting back to gold and green, the other faeries, Lance and Summer included, scattering. Allura came back, dancing playfully and carefree. A group of faeries began slowly making their way out of the trees, silks fluttering. They gathered around Allura, closing in. Her dance became panicked again, spinning and trying to fight her way out. The faeries closed in and she twisted to the floor, completely surrounded, and the lights went down.

When the lights came back up, they were gold and green, but muted, washed out. Allura was curled up on the floor, but rose when the lights came on fully. Faeries came out slowly, one by one, until Lance joined them. Allura panicked, trying to find a way out. The faeries played, but were always watching her. Lance followed her, but never close enough to touch. Eventually, Allura spun around, finding herself face to face with Lance, who held a hand out. Allura took it, but her steps were hesitant. Very soon they were dancing together, her steps as fluid as Lance’s. At the peak of their dance, he lifted her, using his full height to get her as high as possible. Lance let her down, and their dance continued, the faeries joining in. Allura stopped, several of the faeries welcoming her into their play. Lance continued on his own, weaving around the rest of the faeries, until Summer crept back in, her steps cautiously hopeful. She joined Lance, and he brought her over to where Allura was playing with the faeries. Allura stopped, then started again, her movements slow. The other faeries backed away to the trees, Lance closer, but far enough to leave them alone. Summer’s movements mirrored Allura’s. Where one moved, so did the other, like a mirror. Lance circled the stage, letting his hands run along the silk trees, making them ripple. Once he had made a full circuit, Summer and Allura’s hands touched, and then linked together, the two girls dancing a bright reunion.

The gold faerie returned, bringing the silver faerie with her. Together, they brought the lights back up, twirling around one another before leaving the stage in opposite directions. The full faerie host swarmed the stage, Lance leading the way. Their dance was excited, celebratory. They frolicked and played, their dances an organized chaos. The host parted, leaving a wide circle in the center. Allura and Summer entered upstage, Lance welcoming them to the revelry. He and the host waited, Summer leading Allura’s steps, until Allura’s dance became energetic and carefree and Summer matched her pace. Lance joined them, the gathered host erupting in their organized chaos once again. It wound down, the faeries at the edges twirling to the floor, the wave moving inward until only Lance, Allura, and Summer were left, and then they, too, twisted gracefully to the floor. Gold and silver faeries danced across the stage together, gold leaving silver at center stage and continuing across and off the other side of the stage. The silver faerie danced the lights down into blue and silver tones, fading until the lights went down.

The theatre erupted in applause, except for the seven seats in the center of the fifth row.

“Holy shit,” Veronica whispered, “I mean, I’ve certainly seen Lance in shows before, but that –”

“I haven’t, but I get it,” Keith breathed beside her.

Shiro and Adam were planning on a late dinner after the show, and Veronica and Acxa decided to tag along and make it a double date. Marisol and Angel left Keith with congratulatory messages to pass along, heading home after. Keith waited in the lobby for Lance to finish changing and extricate himself from the backstage chaos. Twenty minutes after the show ended, and Lance appeared, changed into sweats and one of Keith’s hoodies. He’d made off with it nearly two months earlier, and Keith only ever saw it again when Lance wanted him to re-scent it. The second Keith saw him, he rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his Omega and into a kiss.

“Liked it, huh?” Lance asked when he pulled away.

“It was beautiful. And so were you,” Keith answered. “You wanna go grab dinner? Shiro’s panicked ass made us late closing Luxite.”

“Oh fuck, do I. Oh! There’s a great late-night diner near here. Kaltenecker’s. They make the best burgers. I really just need a burger the size of my head right now.”

It was one of the few remaining true diners, the restaurant housed in an old train dining car. Keith had to admit that they did make pretty damn good burgers. They both agreed that while good, their milkshakes weren’t quite on Scaultrite level. When they got back to Keith’s apartment, Lance collapsed into bed and fell asleep purring to the massage Keith gave him. The Alpha wouldn’t be going to the weekend performances, but as long as there were no major detonations, Luís and Lisa would be bringing the pups to the Sunday matinee.

Lance survived the weekend. The pups did get to go on Sunday and were awed and excited by getting to see their tío onstage. Veronica and Acxa decided that they would be seeing more of each other, as did Shiro and Adam. Keith offered to have Lance stay with him for the week and weekend until the end of the show’s run the following Sunday, an offer Lance very gladly accepted. The pair stopped by Lance’s apartment on Sunday after the evening show to pack for the week, heading back to Keith's after.

Lance showed up to Luxite at his Keith-appointed time Wednesday at 12. He found his Alpha up front waiting for him, talking with Shiro and Hunk. Hunk was going out with Shay for the first time that Friday, and he was nervous, despite both Keith and Shiro’s reassurances that Shay really was as sweet as she seemed and that he had nothing to worry about. Lance caught the end of the conversation, adding his own opinion.

“No, they’re right, Hunk. Shay’s a total sweetie, and so are you. I don’t think you could fuck it up if you tried.”

“Y’know, that oddly helps, Lance,” Hunk said.

“Anytime, buddy. You know I love you and will always tell you if you're being an ass. Which is basically never.”

Keith just shook his head at them. “You ready, babe?”

“Totally. You watched me shower this morning.”

“Oh my god, Lance,” Hunk said.

“Yeah, I didn’t need to hear that either,” Shiro agreed.

Keith laughed at his brother and Lance’s best friend, who they were very quickly becoming real friends with. “Before you embarrass them any more, love,” he said, waving Lance into his room.

The Omega got settled in the chair, his Alpha finishing his prep. Before putting needle to skin, he paused. “I know you know this, but it’s not going to be the most comfortable thing. It’s line art, so it’ll go quicker than something more complicated, but you tell me if it’s too much, and we can stop.”

Lance nodded. “Ok. I trust you.”

His lips curled in a fond smile, scent rising to match. Keith set to work, the only real time-consuming part of the process being the constant shift in color. Lance admitted that where he had decided he wanted his tattoo to go was a little sensitive – the more delicate skin of his inner forearm – but he was ok. Keith’s scent took on a comforting reassurance, which for him meant a light, clean scent like fresh linen. By the time they were finished, it was almost time to close up. Coming back out, they found Shiro cleaning up the waiting area while Hunk took care of one last client.

“Just waiting on Hunk,” Shiro said.

“’Kay,” Keith answered, then turned back to Lance, “So, you remember what I told you?”

“Keep it clean, keep it covered for the next two days, use the aftercare cream after that, but not normal moisturizers or anything scented, anything I'm missing?” Lance rattled off.

“Let me know if it gets seriously irritated, cuz it will be a little irritated at first, or if anything else happens. And not that you drink much, but it’s better to keep as hydrated as possible.”

“Yes, boss,” he said quietly, getting closer.

“I’ll miss you tonight,” Keith murmured.

“Yeah, I’ll miss you too. But my apartment’s a disaster and I have a metric fuckton of laundry piled up. You could come keep me company while I do it,” Lance suggested.

“I’ll bring takeout.”

Lance picked Keith up from Luxite on Friday for their date at Taste of Havana. He picked at the tape on the plastic film while he waited. Keith showed his last client of the day out the door, locking it behind them. He turned around to where Lance was leaning on the counter.

“Ok, let’s see it,” Keith said.

Lance didn’t wait and ripped the tape off, but unwrapped the plastic more carefully. Keith took his boyfriend’s arm, looking at the new tattoo in the light from the wide windows. It wasn’t irritated at all and looked like Lance had been following his instructions exactly. Keith didn’t touch it, as much as he wanted to, but let his eyes trail over the dip-dyed blue lines he’d put there two days earlier. He couldn’t possibly describe how it felt seeing his own artwork on Lance’s skin. He definitely planned on leaving a mating mark on the Omega someday, but this was something else. The mating mark would fade to a scar, a discoloration on Lance’s perfect skin that let the world know he had an Alpha who loved him more than anything. This was vibrant and full of life and motion. It was an artist’s interpretation of aerial dance in visible lines. In a way, it was how he saw Lance; full of life, always in motion, who loved with everything he was. Keith would give him the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, my fae creatures! This was it, the next chapter. I really wanted to cover Lance's show, and ended up writing the show part all at once. The idea for Allura's role Aisling was inspired by Cartoon Saloon's The Secret of Kells. It's beautiful and amazing and everyone should see it. And when writing the scene in the show where Allura tries to escape the Faerie Realm and Lance trails along behind her, all I could think of was the dream sequence in Labyrinth (yes, it is one of my favorite movies ever) with Sarah and Jareth at the masked ball.
> 
> Next chapter is going to skip forward about a month and cover something more on Keith's end. This chapter was all about Lance and the show, next chapter will be about Keith and Luxite.


	8. Luxite's New Crew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Lance gets a little drunk in this chapter, but Keith is the best boyfriend.

A year ago, the space next door to Luxite had been occupied by a business that Keith knew was doomed to fail. It was a a small toy store, but it was too specialized to succeed as a physical space. Handmade wind-up toys might do a fair business online, but it could never survive from behind a storefront. Keith had felt sorry for the owner. He had even suggested taking the business online, but the owner felt it was too impersonal. By the end, angry and upset over their business closing, the owner had tried to blame Keith for its failure, saying that a tattoo and piercing studio was inappropriate next to a toy store, despite the fact that Luxite had already been there when the toy store opened.

Had he been able to afford it when the toy store closed, Keith would have signed the lease on the space immediately. However, he was still building Luxite’s client base and business, and chose to focus on that instead of an expansion he couldn’t handle. But that was a year ago. Now, Luxite was at capacity, and he needed to expand. Keith had found out that part of the reason for that was that his old mentors Declan Kolivan and Toby Thace had been sending clients his way from Marmora, the same studio Keith had his apprenticeship in.

The toy store had stayed empty, and Keith finally signed the lease on it two weeks earlier. Now construction was underway to combine the spaces. Luxite stayed open through the process, keeping the areas separate. It was tricky, Keith had to move across the small hallway into Shiro’s space, since Keith’s room shared a wall with the former toy store, but they managed it. Hunk kept his own space, but they roped off half of the waiting area due to the construction, and since most of Shiro’s piercing appointments were simple, he set up in the other half of the now former waiting area, and Keith posted a notice on Luxite’s site and the front door, asking clients to not be earlier than five minutes for their appointments.

Construction was done for the day and Keith sat in the chair behind the counter, slouched down in the seat on a call with Declan. “It’s slow, Dec. They're saying construction won’t be done for another month, month and a half.”

“Yeah, but it gives you time to find new artists. How many were you looking to bring in?” the older man asked.

“Two, for now. But with the expansion, I’ll have the room for a bigger crew if I need it.”

Hunk’s client was the last of the day. Shiro had been in the office picking up, but came back out to the front. He saw Keith on a call, wondering who was on the other end by expression and scent.

“Declan,” Keith mouthed before going back to the conversation.

Shiro nodded, understanding, before turning his attention to the area that was now his workspace.

“Well,” Declan was saying, “I can keep an ear out for anyone looking for a studio to join.”

“Yeah, that’d be amazing. Thanks, man.”

Shiro looked at him pointedly, and then to his workspace.

Keith nodded, signing off with Declan.

“You ready finally?” Shiro asked.

“This is going to hurt me a lot more than it’s going to hurt you,” the younger Alpha retorted.

“Just get your ass over here. I need to see if any of your old piercings are still open. Especially the upper helix ones. Two things before I do this,” he asked as Keith dropped onto the high chair, “One, do you want all of your old piercings redone, and two, is that including the industrial?”

“No, and maybe?” Keith answered, sliding the hair tie out and pulling it back into a quick, messy bun.

Being more freeform in their parenting, Krolia and Ryu hadn’t objected when their two boys had expressed interest in various piercings. The only real rule with them was that the boys had to take responsibility for any modifications they made to their bodies. Soon after, both Shiro and Keith had a number of piercings scaling their ears. Shiro had maintained most of them, deciding after a while that there were a few he'd gotten that he wasn’t overly fond of and let them close. Keith, on the other hand, had let them all close. Not that it had been his decision. Despite being an Alpha himself, he’d let another Alpha, his first boyfriend, dictate what was acceptable, and piercings weren’t on the list. It had been more than long enough, and Keith had decided that he wanted them back. Lance was all for it, and it made Keith laugh seeing his Omega so excited at the thought.

Shiro carefully inspected all of his brother’s piercings, looking over where Keith wanted to start in particular. “Ok, so the higher stacked lobes are actually still open. Might be a little tight, but I can just put studs in those. But those helixes will need to be re-pierced.”

It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but both sets of tiny studs – matte black and gunmetal – were put into the stacked lobe piercings. Hunk was bringing his last client out just as Shiro was re-piercing the first of Keith’s high helixes, who grumbled at the sharp metal punching through cartilage. The process was repeated on the other side, Shiro sighing at his little brother’s bitching. Hunk locked the front door as Shiro stepped back, small garnet-red studs in the new piercings.

“You know how to take care of this,” Shiro said.

“Nah, I think I’ll just let them get infected. So, we’ll meet up back here and head over to Sal’s. And I know Lance’s going to want to wander over to Scaultrite after.”

Things had been going well with both Shay and Adam, and Lance and Keith were as inseparable as ever. So they decided on a group date. Veronica and Acxa had been invited, but Veronica needed to stay late that night at Teludav, the high-speed communications company she worked for, and Acxa and crew were in the process of hiring on a few more people and were still short-staffed. Rachel had started working there as their first new hire, finally putting her culinary degree as a pastry chef to use. So it just left the six of them for the night.

The three Alphas parted ways to pick up their dates. Lance was ready to go when Keith went to pick him up, and they were the first back to the studio. He parked out front, the pair dismounting the bike to wait. Lance used any opportunity to wrap himself around his Alpha, this one was no exception. It was the end of August, and the crisp chill of autumn was beginning to slip into the air at night. It wasn’t that late yet, but it would be by the time they were through dinner, and Lance was looking forward to the short walk to Scaultrite, snuggled up next to his boyfriend.

Lance suddenly remembered that Shiro was starting on redoing Keith’s piercings that day. He pulled away from the Alpha, bouncing. “Lemme see.”

Keith knew what he meant, releasing his usual ponytail and throwing it back up into the messy bun from earlier. He noted the spike in Lance’s scent when he finished. “Careful with the helixes. They had to be pierced again.”

The Omega was excitedly looking over his Alpha’s piercings when Hunk pulled up in his dark metallic gold Jeep with Shay. They had been dating for a grand total of three weeks, but they already looked so in love with each other. Even if they tried to hide it, their scents gave them away. It was the same with Shiro. Keith was gleefully giving his brother just as much shit as he’d taken when he’d first started dating Lance. Hunk was making his way around to the sidewalk when his phone rang. He was surprised at the caller ID, but answered. Lance and Keith caught up with Shay while Hunk conducted his conversation, turning to Keith when he disconnected.

“I might have a solution to the problem. A couple friends I made in Gamara are looking to move out here, where, according to them, it’s ‘less weird’. They're both tattoo artists, and were asking if I knew of anything out here. I said I’d run it by you first, but that Luxite’s expanding and that we’re looking.”

“Yeah. Have them send me their portfolios and I’ll take a look.”

Hunk shot a text off, and a few minutes later, Keith's phone went off with new email notifications. They were still waiting for Shiro and Adam, so he decided to take a look. The name on the first email was Matt Holt. Matt didn’t seem to have a single style he specialized in. He was more of a chameleon, able to adapt to different styles, but always with an attention to detail that made his work stand out. Keith was definitely interested. The second email was from Catrin Holt. The Alpha noticed the names immediately.

“Matt and Catrin. They related?” he asked Hunk.

“Yeah. They’re siblings. Matt’s older. But, um, his sister prefers Pidge to Catrin or Katie. It’s an old nickname Matt gave her, but she uses it instead of her real name,” Hunk explained.

“Fair enough. Hell, I don’t even call my own brother by his real name.”

He went back to the email and its attached portfolio belonging to Pidge Holt. She definitely had a signature style, heavily favoring geometric shapes and organic designs, often together. And as much attention as Matt paid to detail, hers was meticulous. He could definitely see them both fitting in alongside his work. Keith attached them both to the same email chain, asking them when they thought they would be out to Altea so he could set up a time to meet with them in person. They both responded quickly, saying that they were expecting to be out in a week, and could meet then. After a few more messages, they settled on a date and time. They would be getting in – they hoped – by next Thursday, Friday at the latest, and would be meeting on Monday at Balmera to start with before walking over to Luxite. Matt and Pidge would be able to see the studio without having to worry about being interrupted by clients, even if it meant that Keith wouldn’t have a real day off that week.

“I guess I’ll just have to come over and make up for it,” Lance said, draping himself across his Alpha.

“I think I could be ok with this plan,” Keith agreed, pulling his boyfriend in.

“Do you even live in your own apartment anymore?” Hunk asked as Shiro pulled up in his slightly older black Escalade.

“Yes. Technically,” Lance answered, “I'm there at least one night a week. I still live there.”

Keith laughed. “Of course you do, baby.”

Lance and Keith climbed into the back row for shameless cuddling, letting Hunk and Shay claim the center row with better leg room. Shiro and Adam caught up with Shay and Hunk in favor of ignoring the two in the back row. Said pair spent the entire ride to Sal’s totally wrapped up in each other. They were startled when Hunk suddenly opened the window fully partway there.

“Hunk! The fuck, dude!” Lance demanded shrilly.

“You two reek. Maybe keep the volume down a bit?” Hunk answered.

“Yeah,” Shiro agreed, “We can actually smell you guys up here.”

“Jealous much?” Keith asked.

“Nope, not at all.” He reached over, and took Adam’s hand, making the Omega blush lightly.

“Gross,” the younger Alpha announced.

“That’s good, coming form the one who’s making my car smell like a sex shop.”

“Oh, no, I’m totally helping with that,” Lance added shamelessly.

Hunk and Shiro both just sighed. None of it made Keith and Lance stop.

Nyma seated them when they got to Sal’s, not bothering to reel in the sass, even with three new people in the mix. “Oh god, you’re gonna take forever tonight, aren’t you?” she groaned dramatically.

“Extra long, just for you,” Lance shot back.

“Great. Red Lion for your boyfriend, Gazrel Hill red for you –”

“Nah, I’ll do the white tonight,” the Omega interrupted.

“Fine, whatever. You like the Black Lion,” Nyma pointed at Shiro with her pencil, “And what about the rest of you?”

“Oh, Gazrel Hill is a great wine. One for me, too,” Adam said.

Hunk wanted to try out the Yellow Lion IPA, and Shay liked the sound of the Gazrel Hill. While they waited, Lance leaned into Keith again in the middle of the corner booth. Shay reached over and took Hunk’s hand under the table like a pair of shy, flustered teenagers despite them both being in their twenties, but Shiro wasn’t so shy, draping an arm across Adam’s shoulders.

“Ok,” Keith said to Adam, “Since he won’t tell me, where did you two meet?”

The Omega gave his boyfriend a look. “Really? It’s not like it’s a secret.”

Shiro shrugged. “None of his damn business.”

Adam sighed at the Alpha. “I’m a bartender and manager at The Garrison. I work the morning shift, but filled in for one of our night bartenders who called out. Takashi came in, and I decided I wasn’t letting him leave without my number.”

Keith turned to where his brother was sitting directly beside him. “So _that’s_ why you haven’t been wanting me to go along with you there.”

“You, historically, are the world’s biggest cockblock when it comes to my boyfriends,” Shiro retorted.

“Lies and slander. Name one time. I dare you.”

“My junior year of high school.”

“What, Jayden? He was an asshole and you know it.”

“Yeah, ok. That is true. Ben?”

“Cheated.”

“Alright, fine. But what about –”

Lance leaned across the arguing brothers in favor of talking to Adam. “That’s funny, cuz it’s basically how I met Keith. It just took three weeks.”

“Do you have any idea how much it hurt seeing you two _not_ talk to each other that whole time? I was so relieved when you finally started dating,” Shay said.

“I – wha – these things take time sometimes y’know,” Lance spluttered.

Adam was confused, so Shay explained. “I help run the bakery and coffee shop my parents own. I had to watch those two with their adorable but infuriating obvious crushes on each other for three weeks before Lance did something about it. If you hadn’t, I would have,” she added at the end to the Omega in question.

I _told_ you it was lies and slander,” Keith said as Nyma returned with their drinks.

“What, are you still arguing?” Lance asked.

“Nope. I won the argument.” The Alpha was entirely too proud of himself for it.

Nyma took down everyone’s order, and conversation simmered into everyone getting to know each other better. Adam explained about how despite having the Irish last name of Ward that he was also half-Italian, and that was where his distinctly Mediterranean complexion came from. Lance said that it wasn’t any weirder than being Cuban and having McClain as a name, talking about how it had been passed down by his one Irish great-great-grandparent. Keith and Shiro both agreed that they were almost surprised that their last names hadn’t been butchered yet, and that it was a little weird that Shiro had a Japanese first name but Keith didn’t. Although Shiro did make him admit that his middle name was Akira. But Hunk, legally named Hakumele Maulalo, won the name round.

“There is something I want to know,” Adam said, “How do you two have different last names?”

Keith and Shiro both had expected that one. “Our parents were still dating when they had me and then broke up,” Shiro started.

“But then they got back together. And were mated about the same time as Mom got pregnant with me,” Keith added.

“So I have our Mom’s maiden name Shirogane, and Keith has Dad’s name Kogane.”

Nyma came back, sorting out who ordered what. She picked up the tray, glaring at them with a playful glint. “I’ll be around if you need me. Don’t need me,” she said and walked away.

Keith sighed with a small amused smile, Lance muttered a “what the fuck, Nyma”, and Shay giggled.

“So what do you think of the Gazrel Hill?” Adam asked her.

“I like it. It’s light and not too sweet,” she answered.

Lance agreed, adding, “Still not my favorite, though.”

“So what is?” Adam asked.

“Blue Girl.”

Adam was familiar with the winery known for their cobalt blue bottles, and logo with a silver line art crescent moon and deep blue cat. He was also familiar with its higher, though well deserved, price point. “You, sir, have expensive taste.”

Keith couldn’t help but agree with that, interrupting Lance’s pout with a quick surprise kiss.

After dinner, Nyma left the check in the middle of the table saying that she was leaving them to fight over it. Naturally, all three Alphas moved at the same time, but were beaten by Adam’s quick stealth grab. When the three objected, he told them that he wasn’t giving it back and they could fight it out next time.

“Fine,” Keith relented with a huff, “But I’m picking up the tab at Scaultrite.”

He was learning to control it, but Lance couldn’t help the soft purr vibrating through him when he snuggled into Keith’s side for the short walk to Scaultrite. He'd gotten a good enough handle on it that it was felt rather than heard, so that the only one who knew it was happening was the Alpha he was pressed against. Keith pulled Lance in closer, thoroughly enjoying the gentle rumble of the Omega’s purr. The pair trailed behind the other two couples, slowing when Shiro and Adam came to a stop at the corner.

“Right turn,” Keith said when they caught up.

None of them had been there except for Lance and Keith. They claimed one of the new chrome and blue booths, grabbing two chairs for the end of the table. The first thing Lance noticed was the addition of a new item bridging the bar and ice cream counters. Drunkshakes included a shot (or more) of alcohol, the shakes built around enhancing flavors. Lance _needed_ – as he put it – what amounted to a frozen White Russian with chocolate and that Narti had named Mad Monk, combining chocolate and vanilla ice cream with Kahlúa and vodka. The Irish Avalanche, which was what Keith ordered, was their usual Irish Coffee shake with a shot each of Bailey’s, vodka, and Kahlúa, taking a standard Mudslide up to 11. The rest of the group stuck to non-alcoholic options and coffee, even though Shay fully admitted to being biased when it came to the latter. Keith picked up the tab like he’d said, and once their orders were finished, they brought them back to the table they’d claimed.

Lance was snuggled into Keith when he dove into his boozy concoction. “I am so sorry, babe. I am so in love with this,” he said to his boyfriend.

“Really? You’re replacing me with a milkshake?” Keith asked with a bullshit-calling tone.

“Not entirely. You’re not made of ice cream and alcohol.”

“Ok. So, Shay, how’s your coffee?”

“Pretty good, actually,” she said with a giggle along with the rest of the table.

“This was good tonight. We should make it a regular thing,” Hunk said, wrapping an arm around Shay.

There was no argument on that point. They lingered over their desserts, discussing various places around the city that were either favorites or places they wanted to try out. Adam mentioned Takara at one point as somewhere he’d never been but wanted to go, which made Keith, Lance, and Shiro laugh.

“Sorry,” Keith said, “It’s owned by our cousins. It’s just funny that it’s the one place in Little Tokyo you mention and it just happens to be owned and run by our family.”

Lance played with the straw in his empty glass. “Now I just want a real one,” he pouted.

Keith could tell he was a little buzzed, but had decided that Lance wasn’t driving back to his apartment that night anyway. The Alpha picked up both of their glasses, bringing them over to the designated spot before going back to Narti to order the requested drink. When he got back to the table, Lance was pouting at him.

“Where’d you go?”

Keith set the glass down in front of the Omega.

“Oh. I love you.”

“Love you too, baby,” he answered, sliding back into the booth.

They stayed for a while longer, long enough for Lance to convince Keith to get him another White Russian. He was cut off after that, drunk enough to turn giggly and clingy. He managed to work his way into Keith’s lap, draping himself across his Alpha, despite the tight fit between booth seat and table. Keith continued with the flow of conversation, navigating around his drunk boyfriend’s physical clinginess. When they decided it was time to head back to Luxite, Keith just picked him up like he weighed nothing, startling the Omega.

“Hey, Shiro?” the younger Alpha called while dealing with Lance burrowing into his neck.

“Drop you off at your place?” Shiro guessed.

“Please. I don’t have an early client tomorrow, you two should be ok opening without me, right? I have the distinct impression I’ll be taking care of him in the morning.”

Hunk and Shay piled into the back row of Shiro’s Escalade, letting Keith buckle Lance into one of the center seats. Lance was upset at not being able to sit on his boyfriend for the three-block trip, but happily let Keith carry him upstairs when they got there. The Alpha deposited him on the sofa, upsetting Red, leaving long enough to feed the kitten and come back with water for Lance. The Omega pouted and tried to avoid it, but Keith insisted.

“Nope. You’re rehydrating before bed,” he said, handing Lance the glass.

He took it, still pouting, but then realized Keith had mentioned going to bed. He brightened considerably at the thought. “You’re coming to bed with me?”

“Yes, of course. But you’re going to bed and going to sleep.”

“Yeeeaaahh, sleeeeping. . .”

“Yes, Lance. Sleeping. You’re drunk. That’s not happening.”

They were seriously dating and practically living together at that point, but that was a hard line in the sand for Keith. Even knowing that he would have Lance’s wholehearted consent were he sober, the point was that he wasn’t, and it was a line Keith refused to cross. Lance was whining, trying to get his Alpha to change his mind on the subject, but it got him nowhere. Keith made him finish a second round of water, waiting until Lance had sobered up a little before trying to get him into bed. The Omega was barely coordinated enough to undress himself, but got it done, and Keith resigned himself to aggressive cuddling for the night, not that he really minded.

Keith had been right. Lance woke up with an intense headache, but fortunately, it was as bad as his hangover got. Keith made them both breakfast, snuggling in Lance’s semi-permanent sofa nest until Keith had to leave for his first appointment of the day, taking the Omega’s car that he’d left there. Lance wasn’t teaching until the afternoon, and went back to bed after Keith left. The Alpha would be back about lunchtime to pick him up, take him to lunch and then Lance would be off across the street to Oriande for his class.

Shiro continued working on redoing Keith's piercings, finding that the high lobe just above his stacked ones was still open, but went ahead with re-piercing the second of his upper helixes. Hunk got word from Matt and Pidge that they’d made it to Altea on Thursday and would be ready for their meeting with Keith on Monday. Construction continued, the contractor meeting with the Alpha on Friday to let him know that they were right on schedule, maybe even a little ahead, and would be finished in another month. That Monday, Keith got to Balmera at a quarter to eleven, fifteen minutes before meeting with Matt and Pidge. Shay said she’d met them Saturday night and that she knew he’d like them.

At 10:55, the sibling pair arrived. Keith would have known it was them even if Shay hadn’t excitedly waved at them when they walked in. They both had the same honey-blond hair and the same amber eyes. Matt was an Alpha, and considerably taller than his sister, shoulder-length hair pulled back in a low ponytail. His sister Pidge was a petite Beta, her hair shorter and choppy. Both were dressed casually in jeans and graphic tees, the artwork on them looking suspiciously similar to what he had seen in Pidge’s portfolio. They spotted him quickly and headed over. After making basic introductions, they ordered drinks, which included a second round of coffee for Keith.

“Well, I can see you’re going to get along with my boyfriend,” he said when Pidge ordered the same iced tea latte Lance always had. “Forewarning about that. He both teaches and dances for the studio directly across the street from Luxite and he’s in and out all the time.”

“Lance, right?” Matt asked while they waited at the end of the counter, “Hunk’s best friend.”

“That’s the one,” Keith agreed, “I don’t know if you’ve gotten to look through our gallery yet, but the blue tonal line art is his.” He pulled up the original image from the photo gallery on his phone, showing it to the siblings.

“Oh, yeah, I did see that,” Pidge said, “I was wondering what it was.”

“Well, it’s a little bit of a story, actually.” Their names were called and they headed back to the table with their drinks. “So, I had been working on a pencil drawing playing around with line art,” he flipped back several pages in the sketchbook he’d left on the table to the original drawing where the slightly abstract figure of Lance was still there, “And we’d already talked about Lance wanting something anyway, so when he saw that, he asked for the same thing, but without the figure. So I took that literally and left the impression of a dancer in the aerial silks without it actually being there.”

Neither Matt nor Pidge were familiar with aerial silks, so Keith went to Oriande’s video channel, finding the clip from Aisling & the Faerie Prince of Lance’s aerial routine. He forgot to warn them about the sudden spinning drop at the end, and they both startled when it happened.

“Sorry,” Keith laughed, “I saw him do that in practice a few times and I still had that reaction when I saw it on stage. But anyway, I’ve been looking through your portfolios, and of course, Hunk has been talking you two up quite a bit, and I think you both would fit in really well at Luxite. I’m sure Hunk’s told you already, but my brother Shiro is the other piercing artist. We’re both Alphas, and he’s more physically intimidating, but the scariest thing about him is the scar. Which he got breaking up a bar fight. He’s pretty relaxed and acts like a little kid sometimes. So, y’wanna go see the studio?”

The three of them left, making their way across the street and down the half block to Luxite. Keith glanced up toward Oriande, spotting Lance in the tall, wide windows messing around with Allura and Romelle. A small, fond smile curled the corner of his lips as he unlocked the front door to Luxite. The construction crew knew that the studio closed on Mondays, so the one working by the border between the two spaces started at the three of them walking in.

“Sorry,” Keith said, “Showing the new crew around.”

He nodded, going back to his job.

“Well, this is it for now. Construction will be done in about three weeks, and then we’ll be closing for a week for finishing touches – paint, furniture, and finishing the floors,” he explained, leading the way around Luxite, “And finally, the back office.”

Both Matt and Pidge noticed the unused desk in the corner, catching on to how the room got its name. Matt stared at the window showing nothing but the alley for a few seconds before turning to Keith.

“Ok, I have to know. Why the window?” he asked.

“This building is well over a hundred years old and no one knows. Makes the room brighter anyway, and I don’t know if I would have noticed the kittens if it wasn’t there.”

“Kittens?” Pidge asked, contained excitement evident in her tone.

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I found a box with an abandoned litter out there about four and a half months ago. I adopted one of them and the rest went to an animal shelter. Oh, while we’re back here. We usually come and go for opening and closing by the back door here. Out and left is our parking, not that I really pay as much attention to it.”

He opened the back door to let them get an idea of what the parking looked like. They both instantly spotted his bike parked against the back of the building. He confirmed it was his and they understood what he meant about not paying attention to the parking situation. The sibling pair left by the back door, excited about the expansion and joining the crew. They were both more than willing to help out with the final week of the expansion, and Keith said he'd let them know when it was happening. He stayed behind to get some of the admin work done for the studio. He hadn’t been paying attention to the time at all, lost in the business end of the studio’s work, when he got a text.

 **Lance:** I can see you…

Keith looked up, then across the street, spotting Lance grinning at him from the window of Oriande. He laughed to himself, going to his phone.

 **Keith:** yeah, I can see you too

 **Lance:** ;p

 **Lance:** lunchtime

 **Lance:** I know you forgot

 **Lance:** I’m dragging you to the White Lion

 **Keith:** because you said so and I have no choice?

 **Lance:** correct

 **Lance:** now get over here and let me in

Keith closed the studio’s laptop and got up, unlocking the front door for his waiting boyfriend.

“Bossy,” Keith teased.

He tucked the laptop and its power cord back into his well-loved black leather satchel, and finished what was left of his coffee, tossing the empty cup in the trash behind the counter. The Alpha let Lance wrap long arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss before leaving. They wove their fingers together, making the block and a half walk to the White Lion English-styled pub, where Keith gave Lance a rundown of his meeting with Matt and Pidge. Not that he’d questioned Hunk’s judgment, but he found that he genuinely liked the siblings and he could tell they’d do really well at Luxite.

Three weeks later, construction was finished. The flooring Keith had ordered came in and a different contractor came in on Monday, completing the installation by the end of the day. On Tuesday, the new furniture was delivered, and the new full crew plus Lance moved everything in, keeping it to the middle of the rooms until painting was finished. The wide wall in the new waiting room fell victim to the three artists, each one of them putting their own styles directly on the wall. The background of that wall stayed white, the other two walls painted a faded red. The back room of the expanded studio had even more windows, and this was where the three tattoo artists set up their workspaces in the open floorplan. The two piercing rooms had half walls facing the back room with curtain panels set up for privacy. Hunk and Shiro painted their respective rooms in their favorite colors, Hunk’s in graduated shades of yellows and greens, Shiro’s in purples and greys all the way down to black. The back office in the original Luxite stayed the same except for the door that now connected the two areas. The two rooms Keith and Shiro had originally used were kept open, curtained half walls installed on the last day of construction. They were ready and waiting for new artists when the need arose, but for now they served as galleries full of minimally framed prints of Keith, Matt, and Pidge’s work.

They finished by Saturday afternoon, Lance dropping himself onto one of the new leather sofas in the waiting area. Luxite’s crew followed suit, everyone finding a seat and staying in it. Keith draped himself across his boyfriend, melting into the feeling of Lance’s blunt nails on his scalp. Pidge fell onto her brother at the other end of the same sofa, Shiro and Hunk sprawling across the one beside it.

“I like it,” Keith said after a while.

Everyone agreed with the assessment, relaxing in the new space for a while before Shiro and Hunk left to pick up Adam and Shay. The eight of them met up with Veronica and Acxa at the White Lion, where they’d made a reservation for that night. They discussed the renovations and expansion and the part where Keith had added Matt and Pidge to Luxite’s site and the siblings already had consults scheduled for the next week. Everyone was looking forward to the reopen and the next step for Luxite.

When it finally happened on Tuesday, repeat clients appreciated the changes and new open spaces. All of the clients Matt and Pidge met with over the course of the week left with new appointments, looking forward to the designs the two of them had come up with. Declan and Toby came by to see the new Luxite, definitively approving of the open floorplan and abundance of natural light. Keith knew he didn’t _need_ their approval, but he liked having it; knowing that his teachers and mentors were still looking out for him. They felt like family, and so did the Luxite crew, old and new. Keith could feel that everything was moving in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, my fae! I hope everyone had a good whatever-you-celebrate (Yule for me). But yay, Matt and Pidge are finally here! I knew when they would show up, but I was getting a little anxious cuz I love them both. Next chapter is going to be a milestone and bit of a turning point for our boys. After that is when things are going to get interesting for a bit for a chapter. There's going to be some stress for them mixed into the fluff. You have been warned! (It'll all be ok, promise)
> 
> -Corvus


	9. The Start of a New Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this would be smut-free, and I'm sticking to that, but there is a brief, abstractly described intimate scene later on in the chapter.

Six months didn’t feel like a particular milestone for Keith, but he was still using it as an excuse to take Lance out. Not that he needed one. Keith would use anything as an excuse to spoil his Omega boyfriend. But they had been together for six months, Luxite was flourishing with the recent expansion, and Lance was successfully balancing teaching at Oriande with beginning rehearsals for the winter show put on by the professional half of the dance studio. All of those felt like perfectly good reasons for a night out. Adam had not-so-subtly suggested going to The Garrison for the occasion. Keith understood. It would be the same day as Shiro and Adam’s dedicated date night, so there would be no possibility of running into Keith’s brother there.

“Y’know, I have never been here,” Lance said as they walked in.

“I have. Just not in a little while. Although I know why now,” Keith answered, referring to finding out how Shiro and Adam met.

They were seated quickly, and after Keith ordered an entire bottle of Blue Girl, they sat looking over their dinner options when Lance leaned back in his seat.

“It really doesn’t feel like it’s been six months, does it?” he asked.

Keith looked up. “No, not really. Feels like it’s been six weeks. Or forever. Both?”

“Both.”

“Both is good.”

They lasted about three seconds before dissolving into laughter.

“Oh, fuck,” Keith wheezed, “I haven’t even seen that in years.”

“We are so watching that tonight,” Lance managed, laughter bubbling through.

“Done.”

The Garrison had fairly standard casual dining options, but better executed than the chains. They lingered over dinner, discussing the possibility of another tattoo for Lance, and Keith echoing that sentiment. He mentioned that he’d decided to have Shiro re-pierce the industrial, but was saving it for last – except for one that he was still on the fence about, and that they were nearly done with the other cartilage piercings he wanted redone. He’d gotten lucky; all of his old lobe piercings hadn’t closed, so it cut down on the process. Lance had pushed his sleeves up at some point, which also exposed his unique tattoo.

A girl at the next table noticed it. “Oh my god, that’s so pretty,” she said, leaning over, “Where’d you get it done?”

“Oh, thanks. Well, actually…” he answered, deferring to Keith for the rest of the answer.

The girl was an Omega, and her sugary scent soured at what appeared to be an Omega allowing an Alpha to answer for him. Lance and Keith both picked up on it, sharing a look between them.

“It’s not what you think,” Keith said, interrupting her train of thought before it could get worse, “Yes, we’re together, but I’m a tattoo artist. That’s my work. I don’t believe in all the secondary sexist bullshit. We wouldn’t still be together if I did.”

“Damn right we wouldn’t,” Lance agreed.

Her realization that she had been wrong was evident in her expression and scent. “Shit, I’m so sorry. I just get defensive when I see Alphas mistreating Omegas.”

“No, it’s ok. I get it. I’m just now getting to redoing my piercings that I let close after my first boyfriend, who was another Alpha, decided that he didn’t like them. I've had a taste of what Omegas have to deal with; it’s part of the reason why I won’t ever do it,” Keith explained.

Lance reached across the table, linking their fingertips together. He knew talking about Chase wasn’t Keith’s favorite thing. They had discussed him before, when Keith said that he was redoing his closed piercings. The Alpha had told him about how Chase decided that he didn’t like Keith’s piercings and that they had to go. It was one more thing to remind him of how much he loved his Alpha. Lance listened as Keith talked to her about the tattoo business in general and Luxite in particular. The Omega loved how animated his Alpha got when talking about his work. It was absolutely adorable and something he would never get tired of. The girl and her friend left before they did, leaving the pair to finish.

They brought the bottle of Blue Girl back with them, finishing it off as they watched Road to El Dorado like they’d agreed, loving every second of it. While the end credits were still rolling only because they were too lazy to turn it off, Lance shifted, snuggling into his Alpha’s well-defined chest.

“Still can’t believe you get up at fuckin’ five in the morning four times a week to go to the gym,” Lance mumbled.

“Don’t hear you complaining about it,” Keith answered.

“As if I could ever,” the Omega said, trying to sound indignant at the question, but not quite managing it.

“Am I carrying you to bed like the princess you are?”

“I am a pretty, pretty princess.”

Lance tried to sound half-asleep, but Keith could feel the smile on his Omega. The Alpha slid out from under him, picking Lance up anyway and walking off down the short hallway.

“Yes you are. You don’t have class on Monday, right?”

“Nope. Why?” Lance asked, actually sounding half-asleep that time.

“Just decided that it’s time for a new sofa and I want a second opinion,” Keith answered almost dismissively.

“’Kay.”

Keith stood Lance on the floor when they reached the bedroom, making his Omega get himself ready for bed. Lance was more tired than he thought, and barely managed it before falling into bed and wrapping himself around his Alpha boyfriend. Keith had other things on his mind and lay awake for a little while, thinking about how best to raise the subject he was considering.

Everyone at Luxite picked up on his preoccupation over the weekend, but only Shiro said anything about it. Hunk didn’t want it to be something going on with Lance and get stuck in the middle, and Matt and Pidge didn’t know their new boss well enough to intervene. So that just left his brother.

Shiro found Keith in the office Sunday afternoon. The younger Alpha was stretched out across the oversized sofa staring at the ceiling. He nudged his little brother over, sitting at the other end.

“You ok? You’ve been off all weekend,” Shiro asked.

“I’m fine. Just been thinking,” Keith said lightly.

“Bullshit. I know you way too well for that kind of answer to be believable. What’s going on?”

Keith shifted up, resting his back against the arm of the sofa. “Nothing,” he said defensively, “I’ve just been thinking about a few things. Nothing you need to worry about. I mean it, Shiro. Don’t bother trying to give me the Concerned Brother look.”

Shiro gave in. He knew Keith wouldn’t and that he’d just have to let it go until his baby brother was willing to talk about it. “Fine. Just don’t let whatever this is sit there and get worse. If this is about the expansion, it’s going really well. Nothing to worry about there.”

“It’s not about the expansion. And nothing happened Friday night to cause it. Don’t worry about it.” Keith’s tone was final, his scent on the edge of becoming aggressive. He didn’t mean for it to be, but he was getting irritated with Shiro trying to get him to talk about what he was preoccupied with. He didn’t want to talk about it, not yet anyway.

Monday afternoon, Keith picked Lance up from Oriande. Lance still wasn’t clear on why he was going along on this shopping trip, or where specifically. He had wondered about it all weekend. Not actively, but it came to the fore a few times over the previous few days. He also had no idea why it was bothering him. He thought about it again as he left Oriande that day, walking down the stairs hand in hand with his favorite Alpha.

“Where are we going, anyway?” he asked. They were crossing the street to where Keith had left his bike in its usual spot behind Luxite.

“Area Fifty-one,” Keith answered.

“That’s the giant-ass, multi-level one. The one who’s name has never made any sense.”

“It really doesn’t. According to them it has something to so with the owner being really into old sci-fi, like Fifties old.”

“Sure, that works. So, I’ve been wondering why exactly you want me to come with you for this. It’s really sweet, and I love you for it, I’m just a little confused.”

“Because,” Keith said, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist, “Your cute butt is on it about as much as I am and that means you get to have an opinion on what’s going in my living room next.”

Lance narrowed his eyes almost comically. “I _will_ find that body. You’re hiding it somewhere. Either that or I’m just hallucinating the most amazing Alpha in existence.”

“And who’s to say I'm not hallucinating? I found a beautiful, talented, stubbornly independent Omega. One that wants me over anyone else. One that already thinks of me as his mate. Now who’s hiding a body?” Keith asked in return, pulling Lance in closer.

“You really see me like that?” the Omega asked, actively wondering if he could possibly be any more in love with his boyfriend.

“Of course I do. Ok, I might have a little bit of a confession to make. Balmera isn’t where I saw you first. The first time I ever saw you was from right here.”

Lance’s delicate brows knit in confusion. “What?”

Keith unwrapped himself and took his boyfriend’s hand, leading him around to the front of the building. He stopped in front of Luxite’s original main entrance, slipping his arms around Lance’s waist from behind. “I was right here, taking a break between appointments. I looked up and you were there in the window of the practice room. Shiro decided to give me shit for having noticed in the first place and that was when I decided to head over to Balmera to get away from him. I was afraid of fucking it up and that was why I didn’t say anything.”

“Ok, so my turn for a confession? It took me three weeks because I was afraid of fucking it up too. You are the damn prettiest Alpha I’ve ever seen. And there was no way you didn’t already have someone. But you always were there alone, and I got to this point where I was just like ‘fuck it, I’ll never know for certain if I don’t’ and then went over totally on impulse.”

“And then I totally asked you out on impulse. We are such a mess.”

“Yeah, probably,” Lance agreed, turning around. He kissed his Alpha boyfriend before pulling back. “And now it’s six months later and we’re going sofa shopping for your apartment. Which we should probably get to.”

“Oh. Right. That’s what we were supposed to be doing. Yeah, we should probably do that,” Keith said, leading the way back around the building to his bike.

On the way to Area-51, Keith realized that in six months he still hadn’t been able to get Lance and his parents in the same room. He then decided that this was a problem he needed to solve immediately. But finding a sofa was first on the list of things to accomplish. He didn’t really need a new one; the squishy-but-structured grey one he had was only 2 years old, but Shiro had been bitching about the one he had not being big enough for both himself and Adam, and Lance really liked nesting. It occurred to the Alpha that he had a way of solving both problems at once.

“Ok,” Lance said, “Where are we going?”

Keith had checked the store’s map online earlier in the day and knew exactly where they were going. He led the way past the more conventional furniture and up the escalator to a separate sofa section. He’d made sure they would have what he had in mind, checking their selection and inventory that morning. He knew he’d gotten it right when he saw Lance’s reaction.

“Are you fucking serious?” the Omega asked when he saw where they were.

The sofas were either the standard L-shaped sectionals, or more of a curved shape. But they all had one thing in common. They were designed with Omegas in mind. At least one part, if not the whole thing, was built for nesting; the usually open front enclosed and cushioned. Keith had looked through what Area-51 had and came up with a few options. He knew the dimensions of his living room and what would fit, and had noted certain models. He knew which one he thought Lance would prefer, but that was the point of the trip.

“Totally serious,” Keith answered, “You like nesting year-round, whether or not you're near your heat. This will make it easier. I already looked at what’s available right now, and I think I know which one you’ll like.”

Taking his Omega’s hand, he brought them over to a bow-shaped sofa, one end enclosed for nesting, the inner wall graduating down to give way to a standard seating setup. It was all curves, from the general, over-all shape to the rounded ends. The cushioning was the same kind of structured-yet-squishy as the existing sofa. Lance climbed in, already in love with it.

“That whole end is modular,” Keith said, “All the cushions can be rearranged however you want. There should be a button in there somewhere.”

“Yeah, I found it. What’s it for?” Lance asked.

“Like I said, the whole thing is modular.”

The Omega decided to find out for himself what that meant, and went for it, only slightly startled when the enclosing side lowered. It became a standard curved sofa capable of seating what looked like six people. Lance pushed the button again, and it went back to where it had been, about half as high as the back.

“Do it again,” Keith prompted.

“Ok. Why?”

“Just do it.” It was a request issued with an amused smile.

Lance pressed the button one more time and the enclosing side extended to the full height of the sofa’s back. He was completely in love with it.

“That’s it. I'm living in this thing,” he declared, lowering the enclosing side back to its center position.

“I thought you'd like that one. You can stay in it while I go put the order in.”

Lance reached over the edge toward his Alpha. “Nope. Needs one more test first.” He shifted forward, making space for Keith’s usual place against the back of the sofa. The Alpha climbed in behind him, immediately snuggling up against his Omega. “Yeah. Ok. I'm living in it. I both want you to go order it and want to just keep you here forever.”

Keith laughed. “Well, how about I go order it and then when it comes in, we can have an entire day in it?”

Lance flipped around. “Dear fuck, I love you.”

“Love you too. Still need to figure out a color before I order it.” He pulled his phone out again, bringing the page back up with all the options. “Hm, gonna have to keep Red in mind with this. Since whatever we decide on is going to end up covered in cat hair.”

“But he’s so cute,” Lance protested.

“He is, but he sheds. So, not white. I’d probably go for grey again, but you think that’s boring.”

“Yeah. Cuz it is. Ooh. That one. That’s pretty.”

Keith stopped scrolling through color options. “’Peacock Teal’, huh? Ok. I’ll go put the order in. Be right back.”

He left Lance with a quick kiss and climbed out to track down sales staff. Ordering was quick, and delivery was promised in two weeks, but they said that it was usually shorter and that they would call in a few days to set up a delivery time. Lance reluctantly pulled himself out of the sofa nest, following his boyfriend out to the parking lot.

Keith sent off a text to his parents to find out when they would be in the same place at the same time so he could bring Lance by to meet them finally. His father Ryu was around most nights after getting home from his career as an architect. Krolia, however, didn’t know how to sit still and kept up careers in both interior design and real estate. She was often in and out at odd hours, and pinning her down was difficult. She may have kept her hours saner when Keith and Shiro were still in school, but as soon as they moved out all bets were off. They were both theoretically available Thursday night, and Keith told his mother that she had better be, because he was bringing Lance with him.

Lance’s semi-permanent nest on the grey sofa seemed sad compared to the new one he knew was coming. But he still liked its setup and that it was deep enough for them both to snuggle in. Which is exactly what they did after settling in with the bottle of Blue Girl Keith had picked up earlier in the day.

“Ok, what’s going on?” Lance asked, “There has to be something. First with the Omega-designed sofa and now with my favorite wine? What are you up to?”

Keith set his glass down on the end table, taking Lance’s as well. The Alpha’s scent was nervous. “I’ve been thinking about something. I know that your lease is up at the end of the month. And I know that it’s only been six months, but it really is true that you’re here almost every night now. And I was thinking that maybe we could make that permanent.”

“You’re asking me to move in with you?” Lance’s tone was soft and cautious, but his scent was bright with hope.

Keith’s scent relaxed with relief. “Yeah, I am. So what do you think?” he asked, getting an immediate response in the form of that purr he loved so much.

“I think I love you,” he answered, letting the purr filter into his words.

The next day, Lance made sure to get to Luxite just before he knew Keith would be done with his morning client. Hunk was right where he hoped his best friend would be, walking a client out to the door. He leaned up against the counter, his wide-necked, butter soft baby blue sweater with the sleeves pushed up, silver grey tank top, and black leggings making him look unmistakably like the dancer he was.

“Hey, Lance,” Hunk said when the door closed, “Keith’s not done yet. Probably be a few minutes.”

“I know. I have a solution to your apartment problem,” Lance responded.

“You do? How?” he asked skeptically.

The Omega couldn’t help the small smile that curled his lips. “Keith asked me to move in with him last night. And my lease is up at the end of the month. The people who own the building are this really sweet older Beta couple, so it’ll be easy to just sign over the lease to you. It’s a two-bedroom, and the plan is for me to gradually move everything so we don’t have to do it all at once and you could start moving in at the same time.”

Hunk was honestly a little stunned. Both at how quickly Lance had completely fallen in love with Keith – although, now that Hunk had gotten to know the Alpha, he could understand it objectively – and also that the answer to his ongoing problem was being solved.

Lance could smell the surprise on his best friend from halfway across the room. He giggled a bit, letting some of his contained excitement out. “You wanna know the best part? I went with him yesterday to pick out a new sofa for his apartment – or, shit, I guess ours now. I figured that he just wanted a second opinion, right? Well, not exactly. He already knew what we were going to end up with and just wanted to surprise me with it. It’s one of the Omega-designed ones that’s half built-in nest.”

The effervescence of Lance’s excitement and vanilla bean scent he exuded when he was truly happy were spreading through the waiting area, making the space smell like fresh cream soda. Hunk went over to where the Omega was standing, wrapping his best friend in one of his patented bear hugs.

“I love how happy he makes you. You deserve it. Especially after both Kelsi and Jake. And, thanks, Lance. Really,” Hunk said quietly enough that no one coming through would overhear.

“Of course. And, he really does. It’s only been six months, but I already know that I want him to mark me, and that I want to have pups with him and watch them grow up, and all the soft, domestic shit, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” the Alpha said, stepping back, “I’m already starting to get that feeling with Shay. I mean, I'm not where you are yet, but I can see that potentially in the future for us.”

“I am so happy you guys are working out. You’re two of the sweetest people I have ever met. You both deserve to be happy.”

Their moment was broken by the sound of an unfamiliar Alpha. “Yeah, I’ll check what works and set up the next session. Thanks again, man.”

“Yeah, of course,” Keith responded, “And you know what to do with that.” He nodded toward where the other Alpha had the plastic film wrapped just above the elbow.

“Yep. Same as always,” he laughed, the door closing behind him.

“Hey, beautiful,” Keith said, slipping an arm around Lance’s lower back, “What’s got you so worked up?”

“Besides you, nothing,” Lance answered, ‘Hunk, I’m stealing your boss and dragging him off to lunch before he forgets again.”

Hunk waved the pair off, closing the door behind them. Once outside, Keith pulled his hair tie from where it had slipped. Lance reached over, giving a playful tug to an ink black strand.

“It’s getting a little long,” the Omega noted.

“Yeah,” Keith admitted, pulling his hair back into its now customary messily careless bun, “I should probably do something about that.”

“I like it, it’s cute.”

“Maybe I won’t do something about it then.”

They made the short walk to The White Lion, and Keith dropped Lance off at the door to Oriande on the way back to Luxite. That night, they started the process of packing and moving things from Lance’s apartment to Keith’s. Area-51 called the next day to say that delivery would be sooner than originally expected. There was a slight change to the order that needed approval, however. The model that Keith had ordered was discontinued in favor of a newer model, although they had it in the same Peacock Teal, they were quick to say that the lower price of the older model would be honored, and would early Monday be alright for delivery? Both were readily approved, and when Keith texted Lance about it, the Omega promptly told Allura that he would be nowhere near Oriande that day. Except for Thursday, the pair spent the week’s evenings packing Lance’s apartment and moving basics, i.e., his extensive wardrobe, over to Keith’s.

Thursday was the exception. Krolia promised to be home that night, and Keith could hear his father laughing in the background when he called to remind her. On his end, Shiro was no help either, knowing full well what their mother was like. Lance waited at Luxite curled up at the end of one of the large leather sofas, angora-haloed pink yarn in hand. He’d just finished the spider web-like wrap for Marisol and had moved on to a soft, fluffy sweater for Allura that would take considerably less time. Once Keith was finished with his last appointment, he and Lance left Luxite to go home, change, and leave for Little Tokyo.

Ryu walked into the front hall from the living room when Keith let himself and Lance in. Lance immediately noticed two things: one, that Shiro looked quite a lot like his father, and two, that Keith didn’t. The Alpha was tall, broad, and imposing, very much like Shiro, with the same laid-back air as his older son. But the soft smile he had definitely passed on to the younger Kogane. There was sharp intelligence in his steel grey eyes, one rounded out by creativity, and a noticeable attention to detail. Lance didn’t feel like he was being studied and picked apart, but he could tell that Ryu had taken everything in and had already formed an opinion about the Omega.

“Hey, Dad,” Keith said, hugging his father, “Mom home yet?”

For whatever reason, Lance never really noticed the difference in height when Keith was with Shiro, but he noticed it then. Or really, the lack of difference. Keith was right in the middle of the three of them at six foot, a mere two inches taller than Lance’s 5’10”. Maybe it was the fact that this was his boyfriend’s father, who he didn’t yet know, and not his brother, who he did know. Whatever it was, the four-inch difference in height was slightly intimidating.

“She just got in. She’s upstairs changing. Should be down in a minute.” He crossed the hall to the open doorway at the foot of the stairs. “Krolia! Move your ass!” he yelled up to his mate.

“Oh, fuck off, Ryu,” Krolia yelled back, a trace of laughter in her voice.

Keith sighed. “For fuck’s sake. Yeah,” he said to Lance, “That’s pretty normal around here.” He took a step toward the stairs. “Hi, Mom.”

The sound of rushed footsteps immediately preceded Krolia running down the stairs, pulling a sweater on as she went. “You could have told me they were here,” she playfully snapped at Ryu before reaching her son and wrapping him in the kind of hug only mothers are capable of, “Hi, sweetie.”

Yup, that’s where he got it from. Keith looked almost exactly like his mother. They both had the same shape face, the same bright indigo eye color. Krolia was also tall like both her children and her mate, barely an inch taller than Lance. He could hear Ryu asking Keith about him as Krolia turned to face the other Omega. He could tell that she already liked him, probably having heard things from Keith. She wasted no time in pulling him into a maternal hug, much like his own mother did with everyone.

She stepped back, dragging her son away from her mate. “I'm willing to bet neither of you have eaten yet.” Krolia turned to Lance. “He still forgets to eat, doesn’t he?” she asked, knowing the answer.

“Yeah, but I'm right across the street, so he doesn’t have a choice,” Lance answered.

“I am feeling so attacked right now,” Keith said, earning snickers from his parents and boyfriend.

“No, it’s good,” Krolia said, “I spent years trying to get you to maintain a regular schedule that way.” The kitchen oven beeped to announce that it had reached its set temperature. “Perfect timing,” she announced, leading the way.

“It’s really only lunch I forget,” Keith defended himself.

“Yeah, but you still forget and won’t listen to Shiro. I have to drag you out some days,” Lance retorted.

Krolia laughed. “Oh, you’re keeping this one. I definitely appreciate anyone who doesn’t put up with your shit.”

“Mom!” Keith protested, dropping into a seat at the kitchen table.

She sat herself across from her son at the table after the foil-covered baking dish went into the oven. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see your show last month,” she said to Lance.

“We filmed it opening night. I can get you a copy. Actually, I can do that right now,” Lance said, going into the admin page of Oriande’s site from his phone.

Allura had never bothered with official titles for anyone, including herself, when it came to the running of Oriande Dance Academy & Studio. So it wasn’t well-known that the only four people who had administrative privileges were herself, her mother Melenor, Romelle, and Lance. Part of what that meant was that he had full access to the studio’s site and download codes for filmed shows like Aisling & the Faerie Prince. Krolia wrote down the code he read off, setting the torn off note paper down where she promised herself she wouldn’t forget it.

In getting to know Keith’s parents over the course of the evening, Lance learned that there was nothing intimidating about Ryu, and that he and Shiro had very similar personalities. He also discovered that Keith had absolutely inherited his bluntness from Krolia, whose real name was actually Kaori. She said that in high school, she finally got fed up with having to correct everyone’s pronunciation and made an anagram of her own name with an extra letter. It hadn’t occurred to her until later that she’d done the same thing to Shiro in naming him Takashi, and that was why Keith didn’t have a Japanese first name.

He and Keith stayed after Krolia’s now famous mac & cheese to watch Aisling & the Faerie Prince. Just as they were settling into the deep sofa, Lance snuggling into Keith's side, the younger Alpha realized that he was the only one there who had actually seen it. Lance agreed with the assessment; “I was in it, doesn’t count,” he said when Krolia tried to argue. Ryu and Krolia both startled at the end of Lance’s aerial routine, Keith still flinching at it.

“Sorry,” Lance half-apologized, “Although I kinda get it now that I've seen it.”

As the show ended and the theatre lights went down on the screen, Krolia shifted in her chair-and-a-half mini-nest. “Was all that glitter in your hair?” she asked Lance.

“Yes,” Keith answered for him, “I’m still finding it. Red got it on his nose the other day.”

“I will never apologize for glitter,” Lance announced.

Lance and Keith gradually made their way to the door. Lance was still talking to Krolia about Oriande and the winter show in December; she said that there was no way she was missing it, and he suggested taking a look around the studio side of Oriande’s site since that was where they posted show dates first.

Ryu stopped Keith while they were still in the living room. “I can tell you love him. Hell, I could smell it on you both. Just – don’t do what I did. The reason we broke up after your brother was born was because I got scared. I love your mother; I just wasn’t nearly as ready to be a parent as I thought. I’m not saying that I think that’s something you two are going to jump into, but talk it out first. Make sure you’re both really ready for it.”

“I do love him. I can’t see myself with anyone else. But he wants to wait. For everything. We talked about it, and we absolutely want to be together, but he’s not ready for mating yet. I told him that we go at his pace. Everything, every step, is his choice. You taught me that. I learned all the good parts of being an Alpha from you, Dad.”

Ryu wrapped Keith in both a crushing hug and a thick blanket of deep, warm parental pride and love.

There were other parts to being an Alpha, and when they got back to the apartment, Lance allowed himself to be led into the bedroom, where he and Keith chased their pleasures languidly, falling asleep that night wrapped around each other, the Alpha holding his Omega like he was something to be worshipped, but never to be put on a pedestal and simply kept.

Keith kept an eye on the sofa by way of the tracking number he’d been sent. It was still on schedule for Monday morning, so Sunday evening after closing Luxite – which was now open all seven days thanks to Matt and Pidge – he and Lance went over to Lance’s apartment that they were slowly emptying. Their mission that night was all of Lance’s nesting materials, including the many, many throw pillows covering the sofa. All of them, plus the ones from his now disused bedroom, and the piles of blankets, some of which he’d knit himself, were boxed and stuffed into the back of his older – “2012 classic!” Lance defended – deep blue Saab 9-3. While light, there were a lot of them, and took a few trips up and down the stairs to their top floor apartment, and left tucked against the wall by the dining table.

9 am Monday morning, and Keith’s phone buzzed with a call from the delivery driver saying that they were there. Shiro had gotten there an hour earlier with breakfast from Balmera, since it was between their apartments. Shiro had rented a small trailer to take the grey sofa back to his own apartment after helping get the new Peacock Teal one up the stairs. He and Keith had gotten the grey one down to the trailer already, with Lance directing, of course. Lance swept the floor of dust bunnies and Red’s hair while the two Alphas sank into the dining table chairs.

Between Keith, Shiro, and the delivery guys, they got the new sofa into the apartment. The delivery guys got the sofa unwrapped, leaving Keith and Shiro to get it plugged in, while Lance got to work on his boxes, deciding on what would be going in first. Shiro took off when he got a text from his gym buddy Ryan that he would be at Shiro’s apartment in a half hour. Lance came over with an armful of pillows while Keith looked over the instruction manual and the remote he wasn’t expecting.

The pillows were deposited in the nest and Lance came over to where his boyfriend was looking puzzled. “What’s up, babe?”

“I know I told you that they were sending the new model,” Keith answered distractedly, scanning over the diagram of the remote, “But I'm trying to figure out exactly what all these buttons are for.”

Lance slipped the remote out of the Alpha’s hand. “Best way to find out is to play with it.” He got his nest set up, remembering what the floor model was like, then climbed in. “Oh. Oh this is a thing. Yeah, I may never come back out of here.”

“Guess that means I’ll just have to get in there with you,” Keith said, climbing in beside Lance. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Pidge is into robotics. She can come up with something that will make it so we never have to get up.” He opened the manual again, continuing through Lance’s giggling. “Ok, so – oh, ok…well, that’s…something. Apparently, the sofa is both heated and has a cooling function. And doesn’t just have the three height settings for the adjustable wall. This one, apparently, is fully adjustable. Like, fully.”

Armed with that knowledge, Lance was able to figure out the remote’s configuration based on the diagram. The inner wall retracted like a car window, sliding under the base of the sofa and back out from fully retracted to the height of the sofa’s back and anywhere in between, with an identical but separate setup for what could become the arm of the sofa. Lance insisted on trying out the heating and cooling functions so he would know what to expect when they were needed, finding the equally adjustable settings just enough to warm up or cool down comfortably. The inner wall cushions were made with hardware to lock in place even when the retractable wall was down, but could be removed, replaced with much lower cushions, or a small table – all with the same hardware. It was even more modular than the floor model they’d seen a week earlier. There was absolutely no part of it that Lance didn’t love.

As promised, the pair spent the entire day in the new sofa-nest, bingeing Lance’s favorite shows with Keith tucked in behind him. For this kind of day, they replaced the higher removable cushions with the table. They ordered from Sal’s and Keith stopped by Scaultrite when he picked up dinner. By bedtime, Lance still didn’t want to leave his new nest, so Keith just picked him up, leaving no possibility of protest.

The next day, Lance headed over to his apartment’s office for a meeting with the building’s owners Garret Hudson and his wife May. The older Beta couple immediately brought him over to their ground floor apartment.

“Now, what can we do for you, dear?” May asked, sitting beside him on the stiff floral sofa.

“My lease is up at the end of the month, and I’m moving in with my boyfriend. Which, of course, means that I’ll be moving out from here. But my best friend just moved back from Gamara and he wants to move out of his parents’ house. He’s an Alpha, and one of the sweetest people I have ever met. He knows I’m moving and is interested in taking over my apartment, if you’re both ok with it,” Lance explained.

“Well, we’ll be sorry to see you go,” Garret said, “But I see no problem with letting your friend take over your lease. If you're friends with him, he must be a good person. How long have you two been friends?”

“Since we were about five. I’ve known Hunk almost my entire life. His actual name is Hakumele Maulalo, but everyone just calls him Hunk. I should get back to Oriande, but I’ll bring Hunk by to meet you.”

May walked him to the door. “That would be lovely. And maybe this boy you’re moving in with. That we didn’t know about,” she teased.

“I think I can do that. Thanks. Mrs. Hudson,” he said with a fond smile, both at the thought of his Alpha and for the maternal woman in front of him.

“Of course, dear. We’ll miss you.”

“Yeah, I’ll miss you too.”

May closed the door behind him and he headed for his car. He parked behind Oriande as usual, but instead of heading up to the studio, he crossed the street to Luxite. Pidge had the chair that lived behind the counter pressed against the wall, where she was perched on its back, her small feet on the seat.

“Hey, Pidge,” Lance said when he walked in, “Hunk around?”

“Yeah, he’s in the back office. Not looking for your boyfriend?”

“I am allowed to want to see my best friend too,” he snapped with an impish grin as he made his way to the back of the studio.

“I heard you from back here,” Hunk said when Lance came in.

“Whatever,” he waved off the heatless admonishment, “I just got back from seeing your new landlords. They want to meet you this week, but it was just as easy as I thought it would be.”

That made the Alpha sit up. “Seriously? You’re the best, Lance.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And so modest.”

Lance just flipped him off with a grin.

Mr. and Mrs. Hudson loved Hunk just as much as Lance said they would when he brought his Alpha best friend by the next day. They let Lance give him the full tour of what would be his apartment, and the two decided on the way through that Lance would just leave the bigger furniture for Hunk since it would make things easier for everyone. The end of September was closer than it felt like, and Lance’s lease was over the following week. Everything that was leaving the apartment was packed up, and Lance, Keith, Shiro, and Hunk spent a day moving Lance out and Hunk in. Lance made sure to have Keith meet with his now former landlords.

“He’s pretty,” May said to Lance when Keith was called to help with a heavier box.

“Don’t I know it,” Lance answered.

When all the boxes were transferred, Lance twisted the apartment key off his key ring, handing it over to Hunk. The lease had already been signed, and this was the last step in officially handing the apartment over. There would be plenty of time to settle in, but for that night, the four of them went back to Keith and Lance’s apartment and ordered take out from Sal’s, picked up dessert from Scaultrite, and relaxed after hours of moving.

Lance had taken the day after off from rehearsal, sorting through the boxes they’d left scattered across the apartment. He sorted through where everything was going, Red right beside him to supervise and inspect all the new things coming in. Once he was done, Lance had three boxes of various decorating things: fairy lights, fabrics, little touches he felt the bare space needed. He was standing in the middle of the living room, hands on his hips staring accusatorily at the bare walls when Keith got home that night. He spun around to the door as it opened.

“Things are about to get a lot more colorful around here,” he warned.

Keith just laughed, closing the door and kicking off his boots. “Y’know, I think I’m ok with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, my critters! I live! Kind of. I'm so sorry about the delay in posting. I'm coming off of a medication with some pretty nasty withdrawal side-effects (vertigo can fuck off), and it's leaving my brain a little fuzzy.
> 
> I realize Krolia is a little different from her usual personality, but I didn't feel like her more reserved nature would work as well here. But her fierce love of her children is still there, and she is more than willing to throwdown with anyone who threatens her boys, Lance included.
> 
> Next chapter is a bit stressful, and I will *hopefully* have it up in less time than it took for this one. Grrr, vertigo.
> 
> -Corvus


	10. Heat Stress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, the chapter launches directly into Lance talking about his exes, which includes situations that may make it seem worse than they are. This is something that he explains and is being completely honest about. One involves a deliberate lack of communication on the Alpha's part during a heat for purely selfish reasons, and the other includes two early massive red flags of a potentially abusive situation that he got out of before anything happened.

Before we commence with the less-than-fluffy, I'm starting the chapter with the floorplan of Lance and Keith's apartment. It made sense to me as most of this chapter takes place here. Let me know in the comments if there's anything that's not clear in there. Also, each blue square is one foot.

It had only been a few days since Lance had given Hunk the key to the apartment when he was curled up in the new sofa nest covered in fluffy, pink, angora yarn. Keith was stretched out across the other end working on a new design. They were both passively ignoring the TV, which they’d really only put on for background noise.

Lance’s pre-heat had started on Monday, the same day as the move, but he had ignored it until Hunk and Shiro left for the night. After that, all bets were off when he was alone with Keith. Like most other Omegas, he became highly tactile during his pre-heat, becoming upset when he wasn’t in physical contact with his Alpha. Except for that night. Keith had a client coming in the next morning and he needed to get the design drawing finished. So Lance buried himself in fine, but fluffy, yarn and set to work on the ballerina wrap sweater he’d started for Allura.

But his mind wandered when he knit, especially if he didn’t need to pay close attention to the pattern. Initially, his thoughts had drifted to the conversation he’d had with Hunk, and what his oldest friend had said about how happy Keith made him, but that made him think of something else Hunk had said. It reminded Lance of the mentioning of his exes, the Alphas that had made him so cautious. It occurred to him then that Keith had told him about Chase, had been completely open about the Alpha that made him have an idea about how bad others of his own secondary sex could be. It also occurred to Lance that he hadn’t explained about either Kelsi or Jake and what happened to make him so careful with Alphas. It was past time for that conversation.

Lance dropped his hands in his lap, pink fluff still woven through his fingers. “Hey, Keith?” he called softly.

The Alpha immediately put his Bristol pad down. Even if he hadn’t heard Lance’s tone, he could smell the acidic worry coming off him in waves. “What’s up?” Keith asked softly, navigating through partially-connected finished sweater parts and balls of yarn to tuck himself beside his Omega.

“Oh, baby, I didn’t mean for you to stop your client project. I just…I wanted to tell you about them. You told me all about Chase, and I feel like I should tell you about them. My exes, the ones that made me more careful than usual around Alphas.”

“Only if you want to.” He kissed Lance’s shoulder. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“I do want to. I know I don’t have to, but I think you should know about them.” He went back to the yarn and needles while he talked. “Kelsi was my first, well, anything actually. I’d never dated before her. I thought she was perfect. She knew what she wanted and went for it. It wasn’t until almost the end that I realized why she wanted me. I was an Omega on a leash for her. Lost my virginity to her, too. I was sixteen and thought I loved her. But she was just keeping me wrapped around her finger so she could have a compliant, willing Omega. All she wanted was a, as she put it just before I finally broke up with her, “cute sex toy”. She was a shallow, manipulative bitch, I just couldn’t see it.” He finished the section of the sweater he was working on, clipping the yarn and putting everything aside. “We were together for three months, and just with timing and whatever, I had two heats when I was with her. She left me completely alone for one, and even though she was with me for the other one, it had to be totally on her terms. And you know what I’m like during a heat. She waited until she knew I wouldn’t be able to tell her what I needed. She just used it as an opportunity to take what she wanted and I was more than willing to let her.”

Lance could smell the edge of anger on Keith’s leather-and-woods, sparking the instinct to soothe his Alpha. He pushed all of the yarn and finished pieces to the other side, not caring about how tangled they got; he’d fix it later. They became a tangled mess of limbs as Keith wrapped himself around Lance, who returned it while softening and amplifying his scent. It worked; the bright, wasabi heat of Keith’s anger dulled.

“Ground rules before heats. Always. No excuse for her. That was more than wrong,” the Alpha mumbled into Lance’s neck.

The Omega continued to wonder what he’d done to deserve an Alpha like Keith. But he felt the need to clarify what had happened during that heat with Kelsi. He wouldn’t try to excuse her, he had known at the time that what she did was wrong, but it was only slightly more complicated than that.

“Of course. That’s how it should be. I just think I wasn’t – clear, I guess? – about how it happened. She didn’t do anything I wasn’t already ok with, we just never had the rules discussion, and she got a little Alpha aggressive. Like that headspace just before a rut, only she never quite got there. I could smell it on her. And I've always thought that she didn’t go all the way into a rut because she didn’t want to give up control. Every time she would get close to it, she’d pull back. I still knew she was doing everything for her own benefit and not mine. She just wanted heat sex, and she was selfish. Everything was always about her first.”

“Still no excuse for that bullshit. Not her job as an Alpha.”

“No, it wasn’t. And she was bad, I can’t deny that. But Jake…well, he was different. More subtle. He seemed like the complete opposite of everything Kelsi was, but I should have seen it right at the beginning. Jake was a little too much, too soon. I know you worry that you're going too fast for me sometimes, but you're not. Too fast was Jake talking about mating after we’d been dating for a month. And even though I said that I wasn’t ready for that, he never really backed off, just kept changing how he said it. But then he wanted to spend more time together, but it was always alone. Kept telling me that he didn’t need anyone else. It got to this point where I wasn’t seeing any of my friends anymore. Thank fuck for Allura and Hunk – this was just before he moved to Gamara – they both cornered me at my parents’ and told me what they were seeing from the outside. They were worried about him pushing me to mating, and then effectively isolating me. They stepped in before I got hurt. In any sense.”

If Lance had thought that Keith was holding onto him tightly before, it was nothing compared to the death grip he found himself in then. He let it go until he caught the growing intensity of the soft musk that always marked Alphas as such. Usually, it was subtle, an undercurrent to their overlying scent. For it to come to the front like it was meant that Keith was becoming protective and territorial. It meant that he would become aggressive with any perceived threat to the safety of _his_ Omega. Lance couldn’t possibly deny his relief that they were home and away from anything that could set Keith off.

“Keith, baby, no. It’s ok. I’m fine. Nothing ever happened to me. Not with Kelsi, selfish as she was, or with Jake. I left both of them. I didn’t know what to look out for and they both took advantage of that. But I never let them hurt me. In any way. I just wanted you to understand why I’m hesitant sometimes. Babe, please, look at me. My heat starts in one more day. I don’t want to go into it like this. I’ve started heats upset before, and it is not fun. Please? For me?”

Keith reluctantly pulled himself away enough and looked up at his Omega. His aggression dissolved in the face of an expression that soft. He was hit with a wave of pure decadence with the combination of the velvety vanilla of Lance’s genuine happiness with him along with the rich heady scent of real love.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t – I didn’t mean for that to happen. It’s just the idea of anyone even wanting to hurt you makes me so angry. No one has the right to treat you like that. I know what we can be like, especially after Chase. And you know it wasn’t just about my piercings. He tried to control everything I did. I mean, I fought with him over all of it, but I still gave in in the end and let him have his way. Until I finally lost it and ranted at Shiro for hours. And he told me the one thing I needed to hear, that it was perfectly ok for me to just walk away from Chase. It made me understand what Omegas have to deal with all the time. I learned how to behave as an Alpha from my Dad, and being with Chase just reinforced what I learned as a kid. Just hearing about how awful Alphas can be makes me so pissed, even more because it was you.”

The soft look hadn’t left Lance’s face and he leaned in, gently kissing his Alpha. “It’s late. We should get to bed.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, I have to finish my design for the morning,” Keith answered, his scent softly apologetic.

“Ok. I’ll allow it,” Lance said lightly, tapping his boyfriend’s nose, “But bed after that. I haven’t had any real snuggle time today, and I will get it.”

Keith breathed a laugh. “Ok, deal.”

When they were finally in bed that night, Lance wrapped around Keith, the Omega had a thought. One that needed an answer. “I have a question for you.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“What would you do if something went wrong and I ever got pregnant even with being on birth control? I want pups someday, just not now. I’m about as ready for that as I am to be mated.”

Keith thought about it before answering. He already knew the answer, he wanted to be sure of his words first. “I’m not going anywhere, no matter what happens, you know that. But it’s your body. You get to decide what happens to it, not me. And no matter what your choice is, I’ll be right there. And if you decided that what you really wanted was to keep it, you also know where I stand on mating – only if and when you want to.”

Lance snuggled in harder, fighting unexpected tears. “Dear gods, I love you so much.”

Keith pulled him in closer, wrapping his arms around his Omega tighter than before. “I love you, too, baby. More that I could ever say.”

They stayed like that, Lance feeling safer than he ever had and soon started purring again, the pair falling asleep to the vibrating rumble.

He made it through the next day, the last of his pre-heat, and they had both taken then next four days off from Oriande and Luxite. Keith didn’t have any more client designs that needed immediate attention, and Lance decided that finishing Allura’s sweater could wait, shamelessly monopolizing his Alpha for the entire night. Even though they’d had that conversation before, Keith wanted to make sure the ground rules were reiterated, especially after the previous night’s discussion. He raised the subject while they were buried deep within the nest Lance had built covering the whole of their king size bed.

“Ok, so, we have an entire case of water in the fridge, we’re fully stocked on your favorite high energy snacks, but most importantly, we should go over what you're comfortable with and what you'll need from me.”

“Well,” Lance started, “You know I'm ok with knotting. Totally more than ok with it –”

“Lance,” Keith interrupted.

The Omega had the decency to at least half-ass looking sheepish over getting called out, even if they both knew he really wasn’t. “Sorry. Anyway, so there’s that. Rutting’s fine. But really, it’s making sure I take care of myself through it. Cuz, you know I'm not gonna want to.”

“I think I can manage that,” he said with a yawn, then turned the light off and burrowed deeper into the nest wrapped around the Omega he loved.

Lance was surprised to wake up the next morning without the usual shift in body temperature marking the start of his heat. But it was something that had certainly happened before and he wasn’t too worried about it. Keith was still asleep, still wrapped around him. Somewhere in the nest Red stretched and cautiously picked his way through the carefully placed structure of pillows and blankets, knowing that one of his humans was awake, even if Lance hadn’t moved yet. Kitten greeted human by rubbing against Lance’s chest, purring at the attention he got in response. That purr was echoed in the Omega when Keith shifted and held on tighter, sighing contentedly in his sleep. But Red wanted breakfast, and soon lost patience with his humans snuggling in the nest. He got up and put his front paws softly on Lance’s bare skin, meowing in his face.

“Yeah, ok, I’ll get up.”

Keith whimpered and fought Lance getting up, but he freed himself from his Alpha’s grip and climbed over the wall of the nest. Red looked as though he’d forgotten how he got in and couldn’t figure out how to get out. He sat down where he was, meowing pitifully.

“Y’ok?” Keith slurred.

“I'm fine. Just feeding his majesty,” Lance answered, rescuing the cat and depositing him on the floor.

The Alpha grumbled and sat up. He was bare-chested and disheveled, most of his black hair free of the braid Lance had put it in the night before. “Meh, might as well make breakfast,” he mumbled, then whined when he couldn’t figure out how to get out of the nest either.

Lance came around, leading Keith over to the space he’d left in the wall of the nest. The Alpha stumbled out of bed, still half asleep. He stayed there, wrapping his arms around his Omega. Lance settled into it, always up for snuggly morning Keith. He found himself thinking about what morning snuggles would be like sometime in the future when he was pregnant and they would curl up in his nest together, their growing pup between them.

 _Wow, ok heat brain. Calm down,_ Lance told himself, _That is so not happening right now._

His train of thought was interrupted by a small body of soft fur rubbing against his ankles. Red still hadn’t been fed yet, and wanted to make sure his humans knew that. The kitten moved on to Keith next before weaving between them both, meowing pitifully.

“You’re lucky you're cute,” Keith half-mumbled with his face still buried in Lance’s neck.

“Alright, come on,” Lance said, trying to remove himself from his Alpha’s hold. Keith was far more awake than he let on and resisted the attempt. The Omega gave up and turned around, heading toward the closet and dragging his boyfriend along behind himself.

After insisting that they at least needed to put a shirt on – “unless you like the idea of kitchen burns,” Lance pointed out – the pair left for the kitchen. Keith pulled the hair tie out of what remained of the braid, putting it up into its customary disaster bun and started on breakfast for themselves while Lance fed Red and opened all the blinds in the open half of the south-facing apartment.

“So, obviously, my heat hasn’t started yet,” Lance said when they were settled at the table, “But I'm not worried about it.”

“I didn’t think you were. But this is something that’s happened before?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, a few times. It can be off by a whole day, so it might not start until tomorrow. It’ll suck if we have to just go right back to work without a day to recover, but I've done it before.”

“Well, maybe we should take Tuesday off too. I can reschedule my appointments for then, and I know Allura won’t mind if you miss one day.”

After breakfast, they spent the day cuddling in the sofa nest. Lance texted Allura about the situation and then went back to working on her sweater while Keith made the necessary calls to his clients about rescheduling. All three were repeat clients and were able to reschedule, Keith even offering to stay late for the Omega client he had for that Tuesday. They wanted a simple cuff design and it wouldn’t take too long, so they took him up on that offer. He then texted Shiro to let him know what was going on and to let the crew know he wouldn’t be in for an extra day. This then prompted a text from Hunk.

**Hunk:** hey, you ok?

 **Lance:** yeah, I'm fine, heat’s just late

 **Lance:** it was supposed to start this morning but it might not until tomorrow

 **Lance:** nothing I haven’t dealt with before

 **Hunk:** I know, just wanted to make sure you're ok

 **Lance:** I'm fine. but thanks

 **Hunk:** yeah, of course. Just make sure Keith doesn’t skip out on taking care of you

 **Lance:** lol, like that would happen. the fucking off part. well, there *is* a key word in there, but…

 **Hunk:** Lance…

 **Lance:** 😊 not sorry

It hadn’t started by that night, but Lance was calm. “If it still doesn’t start by tomorrow morning, then I’ll worry,” he said when they got into bed.

Keith woke up Saturday morning, sleepily reached across the bed and found it empty. Lance may have only just moved in formally, but he had never gotten up without waking the Alpha if he wasn’t up already. He sat up, realizing he was hearing near-frantic searching sounds coming from the linen closet in the laundry room. He listened for a few seconds, then got up to investigate. Lance was coming out into the hall, panic across his face and anxiety saturating his distinct scent with an electric tang.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m gonna have to go run a quick errand. I’ll be right back,” he said, the panic echoed in his voice.

Keith held up a hand. “What’s going on? Are you ok?” he asked, his voice sleep-rough.

Lance deflated, but his scent still reeked of anxiety. He worried the hem of his tank top, not meeting Keith’s eyes. Fighting tears, he threw his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. Keith just held him, knowing that Lance would talk when he was able to. Lance took a few deep breaths before the edge softened ever so slightly off the sharp, acrid scent of his anxiety.

Without moving, and speaking barely above a whisper, he said the one thing that made Keith’s own anxiety spike. “My heat still hasn’t started. I thought that I was just stuck in pre-heat for an extra day, but what if it isn’t?”

Keith held on tighter. “Then we take care of it however you want. And I still stand by what I said. Even if you are, I won’t mark you if you don’t want me to.”

Lance sniffled, burying his nose in Keith’s scent gland. Even unmarked and unmated, his boyfriend’s scent was calming. “What did I do to deserve you?” he murmured.

Keith slid a hand up Lance’s back, rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. “I ask myself that every day.”

“You’re actually going to make me cry, you bastard,” Lance laughed through restrained tears.

Keith breathed a soft laugh in return. His hand went further, gently holding Lance’s neck, dull nails softly scratching his scalp as he rocked them both slowly. “Here’s what we’re going to do,” he said, “First, we’re getting dressed, then I’ll make breakfast, and then we’ll go run that errand. Together. Ok?”

Lance nodded against his neck. “Yeah, ok.”

They dressed quickly, and Lance calmed a bit more. He knew that whatever happened, he’d be ok. Keith wasn’t going to leave him, or pressure him into mating if he didn’t want it. He would stay, supporting Lance however he wanted. It felt so freeing to know that even unmated, he had an Alpha who would back him up no matter what. He was fully aware that not all Omegas were that ridiculously lucky.

Keith made breakfast as promised, Lance perched on a barstool at the kitchen island. At some point, Keith turned around to find Lance watching him like the Alpha had hung the stars. Without a word, he reached across the island, taking Lance’s hand and kissing his fingers before going back to the task at hand. Lance forewent his usual breakfast tea as he still hadn’t decided what he would do if his heat wasn’t coming. After they finished, Keith took the time to clean up before they set off.

They roamed the aisles of the pharmacy, Keith never letting go of Lance’s hand. They found the Omega-specific tests, and with that in hand, they made their way back to the apartment. The Alpha had not-so-subtly stared down a pair of Omegas, a middle-aged woman and her mother, who were throwing dirty, judgmental looks their way for being younger than they approved of and unmated. They walked the two blocks back to their apartment at Keith’s insistence, just in case. He trusted his own driving ability, but not anyone else’s.

Keith caught Lance’s wrist, pulling him into a kiss before he disappeared into the bathroom. “Whatever happens, I’ve got you. You know that.”

Lance broke into a small smile, nodding and responding with another quick kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

In the bathroom, panic was setting in again and he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. It didn’t work, but he couldn’t wait, and tore the small box open. Lance read through the instructions for the testing solution and the strip. This differed from what Betas had for an at-home pregnancy test in that it was developed to react to small shifts in pheromones and the hormonal changes that affected them. The instructions said to hold the test strip to his scent gland for ten seconds and then slide it into the slim plastic case. The solution in the case would react to the pheromones and hormones and the result would show through the clear front in 90 seconds. If the test stayed white, there was no reaction and it was negative. Color varied by brand, but in this case, a positive would cause the strip to turn bright blue. The less common third reaction was if the test strip changed to grey, meaning that it was inconclusive and that the Omega’s doctor should be informed for further testing.

Lance read through all of that and filled the case with the prepackaged testing solution. He held the specially-formulated paper in place for the requisite ten seconds while still trying to calm himself, which still didn’t work, and slipped the paper into its case and waited.

Keith flopped onto their bed in the hole in the nest he’d climbed out of that morning, climbing in to stretch out. He stared at the ceiling and thought about what this could mean for them. If Lance really was pregnant. If he then decided that he wanted to keep their pup. Lance would have to give up dancing and aerial silks. His two passions. But Keith would never hold him back. Lance was free to do what he felt was best for himself. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the Omega come back.

“Hey, babe,” he said from the doorway.

Keith looked over. Lance was leaning against the doorframe, the test dangling from his fingers. Keith couldn’t see the result from where he was, but Lance still looked worried. That could mean anything.

“It didn’t work,” Lance said.

“What? What does that mean?” Keith asked, waving his upset Omega over.

“It turned grey. It said that it means that it couldn’t get anything clear and that I should see my doctor,” he said as he walked across the bedroom, leaving the test’s case on the bedtable before climbing into the nest beside his Alpha.

“Except that it’s Saturday,” Keith sighed.

“Yeah, except it’s Saturday,” Lance agreed.

“So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. Is it bad that I don’t really know how I feel about this?”

“No, of course not. I don’t really know how I feel about it either,” Keith paused with a realization, “Oh. Hold on. There’s the urgent care in the hospital in Little Tokyo. They consider things like this to come under urgent care. I only know about it because of my last boyfriend Satoshi, because he’s an Omega and also works at the hospital as a phlebotomist.” It was one of the things they’d bonded over, making careers out of professionally stabbing people with needles, even if it was in entirely different circumstances.

An odd look crossed Lance’s face, doubt clouding his already anxious scent. “Don’t know how I feel about that either.”

“No, it’s ok. We broke up on good terms. We still follow each other on social media, but that’s really it. And getting you checked out is more important anyway. Come on, let’s get this figured out,” Keith said with calm reassurance backing him up through his scent and pulling Lance toward the edge of the bed.

The Omega allowed his Alpha to help him get up, wrapping himself around his boyfriend once he was standing on the bare hardwood. “Yeah, ok.”

Downstairs, Lance handed the keys over, sliding into the passenger seat. Once they were on the way to Olkarion Teaching Hospital, Keith reached across the center console, weaving his fingers through Lance’s and giving the Omega’s hand a gentle squeeze. Anxiety still clearly marked his scent, and Keith knew he wasn’t in the right headspace to talk, so he let it go until they were just past halfway there.

“Olkarion’s the hospital I was born in,” he said, breaking the silence.

That snapped Lance out of the spiral of worry his thoughts had taken. “Really?”

“Yeah. It was the best hospital in the city until just after I was born. All went downhill after that until they found out a few years ago that the director was taking kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies. The assistant director took over and they’ve reclaimed their place at the top again.”

“Oh shit. What happened to the old director?”

“From what I heard, he was stripped of his medical license and is now in prison for the bribery. Apparently, the new director is a lot more hands on and doesn’t put up with ethics violations in her hospital.”

Lance was still anxious after that, but had relaxed enough to maintain basic conversation. He stayed slightly more relaxed until they parked by the entrance to the urgent care clinic. Keith, and he was sure the rest of the waiting room when they walked in, could smell the staticky sharpness of his Omega’s stress. The receptionist handed him a tablet with the forms for why he was there along with all the standard relevant information gathering. He handed it back to her after a few minutes and went back to where Keith was waiting for him.

The waiting room was designed to generate a calm atmosphere with natural light filling the space, comfortable (for a medical waiting room) furniture, and a home decorating show playing on the wall-mounted TV. Lance didn’t love them as much as his mother did, but it was something to occupy him until he was called, and he curled up beside Keith, snuggling into his Alpha’s side. He was called halfway through the second episode, the new show about house hunting. The nurse who called him was predictably confused when he got up. He was used to people not expecting someone his age and Cuban with a name like his. But she recovered quickly, taking him back to the exam rooms. Not for the first time that day Lance found that his anxiety spiked when he was apart from Keith, even with the Alpha’s reassurance that he’d be right there when Lance was done.

“So, looks like your heat’s late,” the Beta nurse said, looking over the forms on her tablet.

“Yeah. This is the second day it’s late. I did a home pregnancy test just to make sure it wasn’t that, but it came up grey,” Lance said, answering the question she hadn’t asked of whether he might be.

She took his vitals, noting everything on her tablet. “Your heart rate’s a little elevated,” she commented when taking the monitor off his finger.

What was he going to say to that? Sorry, I've been having a near-constant panic attack all day? It turned out that he didn’t need to respond because she just kept going.

“You know, you need to calm down before doing one of those Omega tests. Being upset when you do it can cause that result,” she said, her tone dripping with condescension, “Well, the doctor will be in soon. Try to calm yourself down before then,” she added before leaving him alone in the exam room.

Time spent waiting in a doctor’s office flows on its own schedule, and Lance wasn’t sure how long he’d been there. It could have been five minutes or twenty before the doctor came in. She was a tall, thin woman, her grey braid blended with what was left of her natural light brown. _Dr. Linnea Ryner, MD, Dir._ was embroidered in deep forest green on her white lab coat, so it surprised Lance when he realized that she was an Omega.

“I saw that your heart rate was a little fast, but a late heat and an inconclusive pregnancy test is enough to make anyone upset,” she said gently, seating herself on the rolling exam seat.

“Yeah, I’ve been having panic attacks all day,” Lance admitted, relieved that she wasn’t judging him for it.

“Alright, well, we will need to do another one to be sure, and bloodwork after that as its more precise and we can rule out anything else that could cause your heat to be late. Did you come here alone today?” Dr. Ryner’s tone, demeanor, and soft floral scent stayed gentle, care for her patients coming through.

“No, my – my boyfriend’s in the waiting room.” He realized that he had to stop himself before he referred to Keith as his Alpha, since they weren’t mated yet.

“Would it make you feel better if he were here with you?”

Lance didn’t have to think about it. “Yeah, it would,” he answered immediately.

Dr. Ryner excused herself, retrieving Keith from the waiting room. She was reassured by the worry in his scent. It was the worry of an Alpha for their mate, even though Lance’s chart had said that he was unmated. When they walked into the exam room, the acidic scent of Lance’s anxiety filled the small space, but almost immediately evaporated when he saw Keith coming toward him. Dr. Ryner brought out another exam seat for Keith, and the Alpha sat beside his Omega, taking his hand and locking their fingers together.

The faster test was very similar to the at home test. With Keith beside him, Lance was able to calm down enough to get a clear result. It was negative.

“Ok,” Dr. Ryner said, "So it came up negative, but I still want to go ahead with the bloodwork if you're ok with it. Just to rule anything else out.”

Lance nodded, momentarily overwhelmed by relief. “Yeah, sounds good.”

“Alright,” she said with a kind smile, “Anything else you need from me before I go?”

“No, I don’t think so. Except for how rude the nurse was. She was a Beta and really condescending just because I'm an Omega.”

“I know who that was. I’ll have a talk with her about her bedside manner.” She kept her tone light, but they both could tell how seriously she took the encounter. Dr. Ryner left the pair alone to wait for the phlebotomist, closing the door behind herself.

“So, that was the hospital director,” Keith said when she’d left.

“Wait, what? Seriously?” Lance asked.

“Yeah. That was her. I said she was more hands on.”

A few minutes later, the phlebotomist came in. He was a young male Beta and the opposite of the nurse from earlier. He commented on Lance’s tattoo, genuinely interested and even a little excited when he found out that Keith had been the one who’d done it. Of course, this started another conversation about Luxite, but Lance could never bring himself to be upset about it. Not if it meant that he got to see how much Keith lit up when talking about his work.

They decided to walk over to Scaultrite when they got home. Lance announced that the morning’s anxiety trip meant that mid-day dessert was in order. What he really wanted was another Mad Monk, but decided that the middle of the day was a little early for that and instead settled for the virgin version titled the Batty Brother. With that and Keith’s usual Irish Coffee, they decided to hang around Scaultrite for a while while they waited for the call from the hospital. They got bored waiting, eventually heading home before the call came. Lance’s phone buzzed in his pocket just as they reached the top of the five flights of stairs to their front door. All clear. He wasn’t pregnant, and there was nothing to indicate that his late heat was anything but a hormonal fluctuation that would right itself.

They were snuggling together in the sofa nest after they got home. In an amazing realization, they had put on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It fit various criteria for their movie tastes. It had, not much, but still, some action, period dress and setting, and was truly terrible. Lance was comfortably nestled in Keith’s fluffy comforter that he’d moved from the bed nest, the Alpha draped across him from behind, when he felt the first wave.

“Oh, there it is,” he said to himself.

Keith made a soft, questioning hum, but then felt Lance’s skin flush with his heat and snuggled closer, feeling his pheromones beginning to respond.

“Yeah, that,” he said in response, pulling his boyfriend’s arm tighter around his waist, “I really do love you, y’know that?”

Keith kissed Lance’s bare shoulder, the hand around his waist slipping into the Omega’s tank top. He splayed his fingers across Lance’s tight core, feeling his heat spread. “Mm, I do know that. And I love you. So, so much.”

Lance turned around, a soft smile spreading in response to the scent that rose from his beloved boyfriend. It was soft and sweet, but heady and strong, like a rush of endorphins. It was matched by the look in the Alpha’s eyes, one of pure love. They may have been together for only six months, but Keith couldn’t possibly deny how far gone he was for the man in front of him. The combination of the scent and intense look in his eyes took Lance’s breath away. He closed his eyes and pressed their foreheads together, his own scent rising as though answering a call. He was completely in love, and he knew it. Lance responded fully when Keith tilted his head to capture the Omega’s lips. They both let their mixed pheromones overwhelm them, the rest of the movie ignored.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I haven't gone into any detail about how this Omegaverse works, but it seems more relevant now. Female Alphas and male Omegas are both partially hermaphroditic. Both have physical characteristics determined by their primary sex, but reproductive capability is determined by their secondary sex. The typical heat cycle is bimonthly, heats last for a week - pre-heat for four days and then the heat itself for three. It's standard for Omegas to take the three days of their heat off, as well as their mates. The week of an Omega's heat is usually when they nest, but of course, there are Omegas like Lance who nest all the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my critters, this was supposed to be a heavier chapter and still ended up decently fluffy. This just wants to be fluff and fights me when I try to make it not. I've done not fluff, and will shamelessly self-promote by saying that my other ongoing project here, All I Need, needs some love if angst is also your thing (also urban magic/witchcraft and Keith getting adopted by Lance's cats).
> 
> Next up is Keith's 23rd birthday and accompanying shenanigans...
> 
> ~Corvus
> 
> (p.s. I'm managing the vertigo better, but I did find out that it could actually take a couple months to be completely flushed from my system. But I am doing better! ^-^)


	11. Keith's 23rd Birthday (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are 2 group chats going on in this chapter, and I made this Super Useful list:
> 
> Keith - TheGayerOne/ClosetGoth/TheRedKing  
> Lance - SilkDancer/Lancelot  
> Shiro - IllustratedGay  
> Allura - DancingQueen/Guinevere  
> Romelle - Bubbles  
> Hunk - Cinnamoroll  
> Matt - PANcake  
> Pidge - PigeonBot6000  
> Shay - Sunshine  
> Adam - PurpleJuniper  
> Veronica - Zero  
> Acxa - CakeNinja

Lying in bed together the morning after Lance’s heat ended, it suddenly hit him that Keith’s birthday was at the end of the month and that he hadn’t yet found out what his beloved Alpha wanted to do for it.

“So what do you usually do for your birthday? Since it’s coming up soon,” the Omega asked.

“Not much, really. The last two years Shiro and I have just gone out and gotten really _really_ drunk,” Keith answered, “My parents will do something with my grandmother. If I’m dating anyone, I’ll go out with them, but other than that, not much.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to do something about that. I know you don’t like big parties, so I'm thinking something with just our group. That’s what, twelve, including us? You, me, Shiro, Allura, Romelle, Hunk, Matt, Pidge, Shay, Adam, weirdly enough Vero, and Acxa. Please, babe? I want to do something quiet with just us, too, but I _really_ want to do this.”

Keith really didn’t like big parties, but something with just them and their friends group sounded manageable. He sighed, conceding defeat. “Yeah, ok. That actually sounds good.”

The excited effervescence in Lance’s scent rose along with the high-pitched squeal he let out. The sound startled Red, who cast an indignant glare his way before leaving for his bed by the balcony door. That was exactly where they found the six-month-old kitten when they finally left the bedroom. After breakfast, where they discussed the fact that Keith didn’t have a particularly strong sweet tooth and noting his love of gingerbread, and once Lance’s heat nest was taken down and the components loaded into the wash, they settled into the sofa nest for the day. Keith was hit with sudden inspiration for a new design for himself, and pulled out his sketchbook. The second he was engrossed in his pencils, Lance dropped his knitting in favor of his phone, rounding everyone up into a new group chat.

**SilkDancer created Keef’s Sorta-Surprise Party**

**SilkDancer added IllustratedGay**

**SilkDancer added DancingQueen**

**SilkDancer added Bubbles**

**SilkDancer added Cinnamoroll**

**SilkDancer added PANcake**

**SilkDancer added PigeonBot6000**

**SilkDancer added Sunshine**

**SilkDancer added PurpleJuniper**

**SilkDancer added Zero**

**SilkDancer added CakeNinja**

**DancingQueen:** what does sort of mean?

**SilkDancer:** it’s a sorta-surprise party. all he knows is that it’s happening

**IllustratedGay:** you actually got Keith to agree to a party?

**SilkDancer:** you doubt me and my powers of persuasion?

**Cinnamoroll:** I don’t

**DancingQueen:** same

**Bubbles:** I could never doubt you

**SilkDancer:** see? they trust me

**Zero:** while I know from a lifetime of experience how convincing you can be, trust is a bit of a stretch

**SilkDancer:** fuck off, V. I’ll uninvite you

**CakeNinja:** does that include me?

**SilkDancer:** never

**CakeNinja:** <3

**PurpleJuniper:** what did I just walk into?

**SilkDancer:** I’m *trying* to plan a sorta-surprise party for Keith’s birthday, but SOMEONE *cough*V*cough* is being mean

**Zero:** I am not. just honest. also, what’s up with the PurpleJuniper?

**PurpleJuniper:** it’s my favorite gin. what’s with Zero?

**Zero:** I just really like Nightmare Before Christmas

**PurpleJuniper:** fair

**IllustratedGay:** Keith too

**SilkDancer:** oh I know. and same. we’re decorating the apartment this weekend for Halloween. But anyway…

**PANcake:** sorry I'm late. what’d I miss?

**PigeonBot6000:** yeah that. what’s up?

**SilkDancer:** planning a sorta-surprise birthday party for Keith. or at least I would be if everyone else could shut the fuck up for five seconds

**Cinnamoroll:** so when were you thinking of?

**SilkDancer:** idk, Sunday before, like 7ish?

**IllustratedGay:** we close up at 6 on Sundays, that works

**CakeNinja:** Sundays belong to the minions now, so I'm off

**DancingQueen:** Lance, don’t forget that we have rehearsal on Sunday mornings

**SilkDancer:** I know. Melle, before I forget, I'm totally making you an Octi. but that’s why the party is for later, so everyone can be there

**Bubbles:** YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**DancingQueen:** Lance, you broke my girlfriend

**DancingQueen:** [20201006_21806.jpg]

**SilkDancer:** love you too, Mellie <3

**PurpleJuniper:** I have Sundays off too so I’ll be there. any ideas on where?

**IllustratedGay:** it’s only 1.5 weeks away, so we’re kinda limited that way

**Bubbles:** Ooh! Lura, love, what about having it at ours? We have plenty of space for all of us

**DancingQueen:** you could have just asked me that out loud, but we can absolutely host

**Bubbles:** I know I could, but then no one else would know I’d asked

**PigeonBot6000:** she does have a point. Romelle, I mean. also, I'm declaring myself in charge of decorations

**PANcake:** not without me, you're not

**Sunshine:** ooh, can I help with that?

**SilkDancer:** ok, so Allura and Romelle are hosting <3

**SilkDancer:** Pidge, Matt, and Shay are on decorations

**CakeNinja:** out of professional curiosity, what’s the cake plan?

**IllustratedGay:** my little brother doesn’t have that strong of a sweet tooth

**SilkDancer:** except when it comes to me ;)

**Zero:** ffs, Lance

**SilkDancer:** even if it was weird for me to say – which it isn’t - my heat just ended late last night, so I don’t want to hear about it. it’s not my fault I have the hottest Alpha in existence

**Bubbles:** excuse you

**CakeNinja:** I'm gonna have to agree with Romelle's sentiment

**Sunshine:** Lance, you’re forgiven for your incorrect opinion

**PurpleJuniper:** you take that back

**PigeonBot6000:** gross

**Cinnamoroll:** BACK TO THE CAKE. . .

**IllustratedGay:** thank you, Hunk. you too, sweetie ;)

**PurpleJuniper:** <3

**SilkDancer:** gingerbread-type thing

**CakeNinja:** so a spice cake, then. ok

**Zero:** I volunteer Rachel as tribute!

**CakeNinja:** no, I need her

**Zero:** unless you want to do it

**CakeNinja:** I volunteer Rachel as tribute

**Cinnamoroll:** I can take care of food – other than the cake, but what do you need the rest of us to do?

**SilkDancer:** Hunk, I love you, buddy. I don’t even care what you make, everything that comes out of your kitchen is amazing. but I’m gonna need the rest of you guys to help me run interference. like I said, Keith knows this party’s happening, but I want it to be a surprise other than that. so, just no details around him, and make sure that no one else spills. . .PIDGE. . .ROMELLE. . .VERONICA

**Sunshine:** I also promise to try not to say anything, but I can’t promise I’ll succeed

**Cinnamoroll:** I believe in you <3

**SilkDancer:** ok, I should probably pay more attention to my almost birthday boy so he doesn’t get too suspicious, so, bye

**SilkDancer:** also, Pidge, Matt, Shay – don’t (I can’t believe I'm saying this) go too overboard with the decorations

**SilkDancer:** no, yknow what? fuck it. go all out. just text me first so I know what you’re planning

**PANcake:** sounds good. I’ll at least keep Pidge away from the pyrotechnics

**DancingQueen:** thank you, Matt

**PigeonBot6000:** lame

Lance put his phone down after that, working on finishing the section of sweater that was nearly done. Once he was finished, he set the entire project aside in favor of climbing out of his nest and across his Alpha’s lap, and Keith abandoned his sketchbook in favor of the Omega he couldn’t say no to.

“You were texting furiously for a while there. And don’t think I didn’t see that cute smile. What are you up to?” Keith asked.

“Getting everyone together to start planning your party,” Lance answered, dipping down for a soft kiss before continuing, “And, no, no one’s telling you anything. You’re just gonna have to wait.”

“Am I though?” he asked, twisting to lay Lance back down, holding himself above his Omega, “I know how to get information out of Shiro.”

“Yeah you will. I have Hunk, and he knows how to keep a secret. Tough shit, beautiful.”

Keith really did try to get details out of his sibling the next day.

_< Not happening, little brother,> _Shiro said when Keith started pestering him the next morning.

_< Seriously? Been a while since you called me that. Like fourth grade. You’re really not going to tell me, are you?>_

_< If my choices are you being pissy at me until the party or Lance murdering me for telling you, I’ll pick you being pissy. That I know how to deal with at least.>_

_< Asshole,> _Keith said flippantly.

They were having that conversation in the back office during a break between clients, but the door to the workroom, as they’d started calling it, was open. Matt and Pidge had just finished with their morning clients and were watching the exchange while cleaning up their workstations, even though neither of them spoke or understood Japanese. Matt liked to pretend he did, but his practical knowledge of the language amounted to a vocabulary of about a dozen words he’d learned watching anime. Hunk didn’t know Japanese either, but he had an idea as to what the argument, if it could even be called that, was about. He was the one who walked away first to find out that the sound coming from the front door of the studio was Lance, who was attempting to keep it open long enough to slip inside while balancing two trays of drinks and snacks from Balmera.

“Oh, shit,” Hunk swore, rushing forward, “Here, dude, I’ve got the door.”

Lance shifted his weight before the support behind him was gone, stepping into the building. “Fuck. Thanks, Hunk. Oh, Shay said to tell you that she’s bringing snacks for our decorating party tonight.”

“Would it be too soon to say that I love her?” he asked, easily spotting his unbleached-paper cup, retrieving it when Lance put everything down on the counter. Shay had gone a little overboard when it came to her boyfriend’s drink, adding clusters of hearts around his name.

“Not if it’s really how you feel. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I’d totally fallen in love with Keith, and look where we are now,” Lance said, picking up his own drink.

“How the fuck did you get so good at this?”

“I found out what a relationship with an Alpha is supposed to be like, and now Shay has too. You’re good.”

Hunk put his cup down, wrapping his best friend in another of his patented bear hugs. “Thanks, Lance.”

“Anytime. You know that.”

“We really need to stop having these talks while I’m working. Wouldn’t want to upset the boss," he said, stepping back.

“What, you mean the one I can hear from here arguing with his brother over details about his party?” Lance asked.

“I will find out,” Keith said as he came up to the waiting area, and Lance wasn’t sure if the Alpha was addressing him or Shiro.

“No you won’t,” Lance and Shiro said at the same time.

Hunk nearly snorted his coffee trying to suppress a laugh and Pidge cackled, following Shiro and Matt. The gang descended on their drinks and snacks, Lance handing the separate bag of strawberry shortbread directly to Shiro before he decimated everyone else’s treats looking for them.

“And your friggin blended iced coffee, you heathen,” he said, passing the drink over to Keith. October meant cooler temperatures, and everyone else had switched over to hot drinks except for the Alpha in question.

Keith shrugged. “Don’t like hot coffee. Never have,” he said simply.

“Still a heathen,” he answered, glaring mockingly.

There was no answer from the Alpha, just a soft laugh and a surprise kiss.

“Gross,” Pidge announced.

Lance stayed long enough to finish his tea and sneak in some mid-morning snuggles before heading back to Oriande. He returned at lunchtime, dragging Keith off to the White Lion. The Alpha liked it particularly because it was the only place in Altea that had King’s Brewery on tap. Lance carefully kept the conversation focused on the reason for that being because Allura’s father Alfor had been one of the owners since the pub was established 30 years earlier, and that it was also why the King’s Brewery line was similarly named.

Keith walked Lance back to Oriande after lunch, leaving him to wrap up with rehearsal for the day before the class of five-year-olds he was teaching. (“Holy shit, Keith, they are so fucking cute I want one. But not right now.”) Lance’s excitement over his small students was adorable. He had a brief moment of Alpha claiming possessiveness, but quickly tamped it down. They were on the same page; they wanted to be mated eventually, but only when Lance was ready for it. Even so, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, or that he knew Lance was going to be an amazing mother to their pups when they had them. That and his clients kept him occupied for the rest of the day and he hadn’t realized that he wasn’t at all thinking about his semi-surprise party and the fact that no one, not even Pidge, would tell him about it.

Shiro noticed that the pestering had stopped. He brought it up when Keith locked the front door after walking his last client of the day out. “You've been quiet since you got back from lunch. Everything ok?” he asked, a large box of decorations in his arms.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah. No, everything’s fine. Just something Lance said got me thinking, that’s all.” Keith then realized that both Lance and Shay would be on their way soon and unlocked the door, sliding the “Closed” sign he’d painted in place in the window, switching it out for the “Open” sign he’d also painted.

“Thinking about what?”

“Just how grossly in love with him I am and all the fluffy domestic shit you don’t want to hear about.”

Shiro dropped the box on the counter. “Yeah. I think I've heard enough. You have the playlist set up?” And by playlist, what he really meant was the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack mixed with Nightmare Revisited, which was also the theme of the studio’s decoration.

“That I do,” Keith said, connecting his phone to the Bluetooth speakers.

He waited to hit play until Lance arrived, since he knew he’d never hear the end of it if they started without him. Instead, he had Shiro and Matt help move one of the sofas so Keith had access to the wall behind it once all of them plus Pidge were done bringing all the decorations in. The preliminary outlines were done, penciled in on the white wall. He was getting his paints set up when the door opened, Lance holding it open for Shay who brought the permeating scent of Balmera with her. Hunk had left at closing to help Shay bring everything over, and he followed her inside and locked the door after Lance slipped in, carrying two travel boxes for coffee – one with actual coffee in it, the other with chai-spiced hot chocolate.

Pidge darted into the back office for mugs, coffee additions, etc., and Keith started the playlist on shuffle. It opened with Shiny Toy Guns’ Finale/Reprise, something Lance decided was fully appropriate. He sauntered across the room, dropping his midnight blue wool peacoat on the sofa now sitting in the middle of the floor. That was where Keith met him, the Omega sliding his arms around his Alpha’s neck, said Alpha holding his Omega’s hips.

“Will you be the Jack to my Sally?” Lance asked, voice low and silky.

Keith only barely held it together. “Did you seriously just…?”

“What if I did? What are you gonna do about it, beautiful?” he taunted.

“Just this,” Keith said quietly, tightly wrapping Lance in a deep kiss, not caring who was around.

They broke apart when they heard the dulcet tones of Pidge screeching, “GROSS!” following it with, “Decorating now, gross shit later.”

“Aw, come on. You know you love us,” Lance said.

“Unfortunately, that seems to be the case,” she retorted playfully, setting the tray of mugs, etc. on the counter.

They got to the actual decorating after that, making the decision to put Zero in the front window and the cutouts of Lock, Shock, and Barrel peeking over the edge of the gallery room’s half wall and into the waiting area. All of them, at least once, forgot that they’d put them there and startled themselves. Window clings went up in the workroom, the residents of Halloweentown peeking in. A figure of the mayor stood on the counter by the front door. A life-size sticker of Sally went onto the door in the workroom that led to the back office. Various other assorted, smaller decorations went up all over the studio. Pidge went the extra (several) steps and decorated the chair in her workspace to look like Dr. Finkelstein’s wheelchair. Keith had already one-upped her earlier in the day by decorating his entire area at the far end of the workroom like Jack’s living room.

But his piece of the waiting area that he’d claimed held the centerpiece of the decorating. Keith had decided that the end of the white wall behind the sofa needed a six-and-a-half-foot tall painted Jack Skellington. He used the white paint-stained water for a while while blending the shading on Jack’s face and hands, but when he was ready to move on to his black pinstriped suit, Keith decided it was time to finally change it for clean water so as not to dilute the black. The second the bathroom door closed, Pidge called everyone over.

“I had an idea,” she said.

“That’s dangerous.” Matt couldn’t help the jab at his little sister.

Pidge flipped him off and kept going. “What about a Victorian/gothic/Dracula aesthetic for Keith's party?”

Lance muffled a laugh. “We literally just watched that on Saturday. Well, some of it anyway. Do it.”

“Only _some_ of that glorious trash fire?”

“That’s when my heat started.”

Hunk sighed. “Please tell me you at least made it to the bedroom first.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.”

“Eww, gross,” Pidge said.

“Y’know, you say that a lot.”

“No, she’s right. We’ll all end up over there with you two at some point and we’ll have to sit on that sofa. I’d really rather it not be contaminated,” Shiro said.

Lance started to object when they heard the bathroom door close. “I’m coming back. You can stop talking about my party. Or don’t. Either way,” Keith called.

“It’s not like you’re going to find out anyway,” Lance answered, wrapping an extra length of sparkly, black garland around his Alpha’s neck. Keith left it there all night, donating it to the Mayor of Halloweentown on their way out the door after they were done.

Keith drove Lance’s SAAB back to their apartment. They hadn’t been on the road five minutes before his phone dinged with a notification from the group chat.

**PigeonBot6000 > Keef’s Sorta-Surprise Party**

**PigeonBot6000:** so, for everyone who wasn’t at the Luxite party tonight, we’ve decided that the decorating plan for Keith's party is gonna be a Victorian/gothic/Dracula aesthetic

**CakeNinja:** I like it

**Zero:** you would

**Zero:** but same

**DancingQueen:** pretty

**Bubbles:** ooohhh

**Bubbles:** oh! we should have a Halloween party!

**PigeonBot6000:** hell yeah. Matt’s driving, but he’s in

**PurpleJuniper:** tf is going on?

**PurpleJuniper:** ah. got it. I'm in. and I’ll just answer for Takashi since I know he’s driving. he’s in too

**Sunshine:** that sounds fun! Hunk says that he’s for it

**SilkDancer:** I love how no one’s questioning whether or not I’d be up for it

**DancingQueen:** bc we all know you are :)

**SilkDancer:** well of course I am

**SilkDancer:** we need a second gc for Halloween planning

**Bubbles:** y?

**Sunshine:** bc Keith isn’t in this one

**Bubbles:** oh right

**SilkDancer created This Is Halloween**

**SilkDancer added TheGayerOne**

**SilkDancer added DancingQueen**

**SilkDancer added Cinnamoroll**

**SilkDancer added IllustratedGay**

**SilkDancer added Bubbles**

**SilkDancer added Sunshine**

**SilkDancer added PurpleJuniper**

**SilkDancer added PigeonBot6000**

**SilkDancer added PANcake**

**SilkDancer added Zero**

**SilkDancer added CakeNinja**

**IllustratedGay changed TheGayerOne’s name to ClosetGoth**

**SilkDancer:** I share a closet with him. can confirm

**SilkDancer:** but we haven’t gotten home yet, so he’s still driving for now

**Zero:** he better not be texting and driving with my baby brother in the car

**SilkDancer:** aww, you do love me, V!

**Zero:** . . . <3

**IllustratedGay:** I second that. My little brother will not text and drive

**SilkDancer:** both of you, chill. he isn’t. and neither should you, Shiro

**IllustratedGay:** I’m already home

**PurpleJuniper:** he is

**PurpleJuniper:** [20201007_1384.jpg]

**Sunshine:** awww!!!!! You guys are so cute!

**PigeonBot6000:** anyway, back to Halloween party planning

**PANcake:** ooh, how about a themed party?

**DancingQueen:** ok, but what kind of theme?

**Cinnamoroll:** not NbC. We just did that for the studio

**ClosetGoth:** seconded. also, Shiro, wtf?

**ClosetGoth has changed their name to TheGayerOne**

**SilkDancer has changed TheGayerOne’s name to TheRedKing**

**TheRedKing:** I mean, it is my favorite color, but why?

**SilkDancer:** I think you know why. . .

**TheRedKing:** LANCE

**SilkDancer:** whaaaattt. . . ?

**Sunshine:** um, not that I question your relationship at all, but why are you two talking in the chat?

**SilkDancer:** I'm in the bathroom doing my nighttime skincare routine

**Sunshine:** understandable

**Guinevere > Lancelot**

**Guinevere:** I'm going to regret this, but wtf does Keith’s name mean?

**Lancelot:** red’s his favorite color

**Lancelot:** we have a king size bed

**Lancelot:** he treats me like a prince

**Lancelot:** and I totally named him king of sex

**Guinevere:** . . . I was right, I do regret asking

**Guinevere:** but that does give me an idea for the Halloween party

**Lancelot:** ?

**Lancelot:** Allura?

**This Is Halloween**

**Zero:** anyone else notice that Lance and Allura just disappeared from the gc?

**Bubbles:** I peeked at her screen. She’s texting Lance

**DancingQueen:** yes, I was. but I have an idea for the Halloween party

**SilkDancer:** Lura, wtf? you just vanished!

**CakeNinja:** shh. party.

**PANcake:** yeah, I wanna know

**DancingQueen:** so, Keith’s new name gave me the idea. Alice in Wonderland theme?

**PigeonBot6000:** YES! and we can all dress as different characters!

**Cinnamoroll:** ok, but how are we deciding?

**TheRedKing:** also, which version?

**Sunshine:** original Lewis Carroll mixed with Tim Burton?

**SilkDancer:** holy shit, Shay, I love you

**Cinnamoroll:** hey!

**TheRedKing:** excuse you?

**SilkDancer:** platonically! calm down, both of you. besides, no one could ever replace you, querido <3

Keith threw his phone across the bed. Six months – almost seven - and Lance had never used Spanish pet names. Fuck, it was sexy. He rolled over with a groan when another message dinged and retrieved his phone.

**This Is Halloween**

**Bubbles:** oh no. Lance, did Keith die?

**TheRedKing:** nearly. . .

“So what I'm hearing is that I should do that more often?” Lance asked, coming back from the bathroom.

“Only if you want to kill me,” Keith said, pulling his Omega into bed with him.

“God, you're adorable, carajo.”

**This Is Halloween**

**Cake Ninja:** did we lose them both?

**SilkDancer:** nope, still here. Just getting comfy

**SilkDancer:** [20201007_33927.jpg]

**TheRedKing:** Red’s being a brat

**CakeNinja:** why don’t we do that?

**Zero:** bc we don’t live together

**Zero:** yet

**PigeonBot6000:** so, about those costume plans

**Sunshine:** Oh! Hunk! We should go as the Tweedles as a couple costume!

**Cinnamoroll:** I . . . actually like that

**CakeNinja:** Vero, what about the Lion and the Unicorn?

**Zero:** yeah. from the weird fight scene in Through the Looking Glass, right? well, the book anyway

**CakeNinja:** exactly

**PANcake:** Romelle, you should be Alice

**Bubbles:** hrm, maybe . . . or, no! Lura, love, Red and White Queens!

**DancingQueen:** Yes! I’ll be Red and you be White?

**SilkDancer:** but, your hair’s already white

**DancingQueen:** yes, but I think Melle would do better as the White Queen, and, honestly, I actually would rather be the Red Queen

**SilkDancer:** well, in that case, I’m going to genderbend Alice

**SilkDancer:** I’m also making the executive decision that Keith has to be Hatter

**TheRedKing:** I don’t get a say in this?

**SilkDancer:** Babe. Carajo. You would make a fucking sexy Hatter. Please? For me?

“You are going to be the death of me, you know that?” Keith asked.

Lance responded with one of his nose-scrunching smiles and a soft kiss.

Yeah, his Omega really was going to be the death of him.

**This Is Halloween**

**TheRedKing:** he’s convinced me

**PigeonBot6000:** White Rabbit

**PANcake:** well, if you’re gonna be the White Rabbit, then I have to be the March Hare. only makes sense

**PigeonBot6000:** . . . ok . . .

**Cinnamoroll:** Adam? Shiro? you guys have been pretty quiet

**PurpleJuniper:** only in here. I’ve been wearing Takashi down

**IllustratedGay:** you’re really insisting on this, aren’t you?

**PurpleJuniper:** fucking right, I am

**PurpleJuniper:** Takashi is going to be the Cheshire Cat

**PurpleJuniper:** and I’m going as the Dormouse

**IllustratedGay:** . . . fine

**SilkDancer:** k, its bed time, but one more thing before I snuggle in with World’s Best Alpha™

**TheRedKing:** ffs, Lance

**SilkDancer:** you love me <3

**TheRedKing:** you know I do <3

**PigeonBot6000:** first, gross

**PigeonBot6000:** second, I know you're actually saying this shit to each other

**PigeonBot6000:** you just like torturing us don’t you? and by us I mean me

**SilkDancer:** love you too Pidgey

**SilkDancer:** anyway, off topic

**SilkDancer changed the chat’s name to The Mad Tea Party**

**SilkDancer:** now go to bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, my critters! This chapter just did not want to write, and I had to fight with it before getting this far. I have the whole thing outlined now, so part 2 I hope to have out soon (and hopefully not in another month). I have a few other projects up here, and they (plus others) keep picking at my brain as well. I haven't given up on this and I don't plan to. I have several more chapters planned for this verbal photo album, and I still haven't gotten to the first scene I ever wrote for it.
> 
> Also, we just hit 3k hits, and I honestly never thought this would get that kind of love. But here we are and I love every one of you for it. Feed me comments, I love them too.
> 
> ~Corvus


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